Garment workers’ protest triggers heavy gridlock in Kuril, expressways
Dhaka witnessed severe traffic disruption since this afternoon as several hundred garment workers blocked key roads near the capital's Kuril area, demanding payment of overdue wages and allowances.
The protest, led by workers of Eurozone Fashions, began around 2:30pm when 500-600 employees occupied both the incoming and outgoing roads in Kuril, halting traffic between Badda and Kuril, according to Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (DMP) Gulshan Traffic Division.
They also blocked the entrance to the elevated expressway, intensifying congestion in the surrounding areas. The situation worsened as around 200 more workers blocked both directions of the Dhaka-Uttara-Mymensingh highway on Airport Road.
Gulshan Traffic Division's Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Ziaur Rahman told The Business Standard that the blockade has forced vehicles to a halt on the Kuril flyover, Purbachal expressway and the elevated expressway.
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"These garment workers had staged similar protests earlier as well. Back then, they suspended their movement after owners assured them of paying the arrears," the traffic official said.
The blockade left long lines of vehicles stranded for hours. Many commuters were forced to walk to their destinations, while air travellers faced major challenges reaching Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on time.
Social media was flooded with frustrated passengers' updates, with some reporting they had been stuck in the same spot for more than an hour.
A Gulshan Traffic Division Facebook update around 5pm said police had cleared protesters from Airport Road, allowing traffic to gradually resume. "In Joar Sahara, police used tear gas to disperse workers and reopened the Uttara-Dhaka road to traffic," the post said.
However, workers continued blocking the Kuril-Rampura route well into the evening.
By 7pm, law enforcers had moved in on the Kuril-Rampura blockade as well.
Gulshan Division ADC told TBS, "The blockade had halted traffic since noon, causing severe gridlock in the area. Despite repeated requests, the protesters refused to leave. Around 7:10pm, police fired sound grenades and tear shells to disperse them from the road."
Around 7:15pm, Gulshan Traffic Division in another post confirmed that the garment workers had been removed from the streets and traffic movement had resumed on all major routes.
