A garment workers’ protest on Chairmanbari Road in Banani, Dhaka, brought traffic in the city to a standstill today, causing severe inconvenience to commuters.
The workers, protesting the road accident that claimed the life of a garment worker, blocked both sides of Chairmanbari Road, leading to massive traffic congestion. This also disrupted traffic on Banani and the elevated expressway. However, operations on the expressway resumed after four hours at 11:45 am. The blockade severely impacted various routes across the city.
Md Tuhin, an employee of Maruf Store in Banani, told The Daily Star, “When I opened the shop at 7:00 am, I saw the road was completely blocked. Pedestrians were using the footpaths, but they were overcrowded as well.”
Sixty-year-old Shona Mia, traveling with his wife, said, “We reached Sainik Club from Kochukhet only to find the road blocked. I’m headed to Gazipur, but I’ve been waiting for a bus. I walked some distance but am exhausted. I keep taking breaks, but I don’t know how much farther I can go.”
A 35-year-old woman, speaking anonymously, shared, “My office is in Uttara. I left Agargaon at 8:30 am and reached Jahangir Gate by 9:30 am, but then got stuck. Later, I took a detour through the Cantonment to Sainik Club and am now walking through Banani, hoping to find a vehicle to reach my office.” Afroja Begum, an office-goer from Mirpur, said, “It took me almost two hours to reach Farmgate. I left for the office at 8:30 am and reached around 10:30 am. The roads are completely jammed, and there’s no way to move.”
Our correspondent reported that vehicles from Mohakhali couldn’t enter Banani due to the blockade. Likewise, vehicles coming from the airport were unable to pass through Banani. Buses were dropping passengers near the Banani graveyard before turning back toward the airport.
The protest began early in the morning following a truck accident at the Chairman Bari U-turn in Banani, which left one woman dead and another injured. In response, garment workers blocked both sides of Chairmanbari Road.
A student traveling from Karwan Bazar expressed frustration, saying, “I left at 8:30 am, and it’s already 10:00 am. In 90 minutes, I’ve only reached Jahangir Gate. My class was supposed to start at 10:00 am. What am I supposed to do now?”
The protesting garment workers also blocked the expressway ramp near Banani Chairmanbari, halting operations since 7:40 am, according to Hasib Hasan Khan, head of the Traffic Safety and Security Department at First Dhaka Elevated Expressway O&M Company.
As of 11:30 am, the protest was still ongoing, with Hasib adding, “Additional police personnel have been deployed in the area, but expressway services will remain suspended until security and safety are ensured.”
OC Rasel Sarwar reported that another person was seriously injured after being hit by an unidentified truck.
