Sylhet Bureau :
A protest rally has been held by the residents of Sylhet demanding free footpaths and stop illegal traffic jams.
On Sunday (September 28), at 11:30 am, former Mayor of Sylhet City Corporation Ariful Haque Chowdhury, along with leaders of various political, social and religious organizations of Sylhet, took to the streets at Court Point in the city to demand a ban on battery-powered rickshaws.
Within moments, hundreds of people gathered there. They were seen holding various placards demanding a ban on battery-powered rickshaws.
At this time, Ariful Haque Chowdhury said, ‘In the opinion exchange meeting organized at the Police Commissioner’s office yesterday, people from all walks of life in Sylhet agreed to evict hawkers and battery-powered rickshaws. He said, “Battery-powered rickshaws are causing traffic jams and accidents. There is no space to walk on the sidewalks due to hawkers, making it difficult for city residents to move around.”
He said, “After joining the police commissioner, he said that no illegal vehicles will be allowed to ply in Sylhet. He also talked about sidewalk-free roads. Along with this, the district administrator is also sincere in this regard. They have taken the opinions of various quarters, political and social organizations in Sylhet. We, the common people of Sylhet, regardless of party affiliation, will cooperate fully with the police and administration. We want to break all syndicates of hawkers and illegal vehicles. If you chase them away in the morning, the hawkers will come back in the afternoon. This will not be allowed to happen again. I have visited the work on the banks of Laldighi, 2-3 roads are being widened. The hawkers will be taken there soon.
He said, “We are protesting through this rally today to take legal action against those who have broken government vehicles, private vehicles, CNG and those who helped them and we support the administration.”
At the same time, he said, “We will not hold any kind of procession, meeting, assembly, or rally during Durga Puja that will disrupt their religious ceremonies. Those who do so should understand that they are opportunists. To complete the puja peacefully, the city residents will have to keep a strict vigil against the miscreants like in the past.”
At the same time, Arif said, “To save our city, committees will be formed with elders and youth in every area, neighborhood and neighborhood to suppress these miscreants.”
Earlier, Ariful Haque Chowdhury participated in the hawker eviction program in the city’s Chowhatta and Zindabazar areas yesterday (September 27) afternoon. During the campaign, he announced, “To ensure peaceful and safe living of the city dwellers, we must restore order on the roads. ‘Hawkers and battery-operated rickshaws’ are both major obstacles to city life.” He said that on Sunday at 11:30 am, a mass march against battery-operated rickshaws would start from the city’s Court Point and end at the Central Shaheed Minar.
