Highway chaos turns serious

Staff Reporter :The ongoing chaos on highways took a serious turn on Saturday as the owners and drivers of CNG-run auto-rickshaws continued their protest against the government decision for the eighth consecutive day. At least 20 persons, including five police personnel, were injured when auto-rickshaw drivers clashed with police in Lalpole area in Feni district on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway yesterday (Saturday) morning. The protesters also vandalized more than 100 vehicles, disrupting communications on the highway for about one and half an hour.The highway experienced a five kilometers long gridlock causing huge sufferings to the passengers. The owners and drivers of CNG-run auto-rickshaws brought out processions protesting the ban on auto-rickshaw at Silonia, Lemua, Koska, Fazilpur and Lalpole areas on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. Police dispersed the procession at different places. The protesters involved in altercation with police at Lalpole. At one stage, police charged batons to disperse them. The protesters also threw brickbats at the police. Later, police fired rubber bullets and lobbed tear-gas canisters into the protesters. The clashes continued more than one hour, leaving at least 20 persons injured. Inspector Saleh Ahmed of Highway Mohipal thana said that the auto-rickshaw drivers blocked the highway in Lalpole area around 11am placing stones.When police went to restore normalcy, the protesters had an altercation with them, said Inspector Saleh, adding that at one stage, they threw brickbats at the law enforcers and broke glasses of about 25 vehicles.Vehicular movement on the highway became normal at about 12:30pm.Feni Model Thana OC Mahbub Morshed said that the law enforcers fired over 50 gunshots and lobbed teargas shells to tackle the situation. Fifteen people including five police members were injured during the melee, he said.Additional police have been deployed in the area to avert further violence. Rapid Action Battalion also strengthened patrol. Besides this, the owners and drivers of auto-rickshaw agitated in different highways to meet their demand. No vandalism and no causality was reported.  Meanwhile, the owners and drivers of auto-rickshaw said that they would not stop their movement. They also threatened the government that they were ready to sacrifice their lives to press home their demand. In the earlier, the owners and drivers vowed to continue their agitation until the government’s decision was changed. “I am ready to die. There is also no way for me because if the auto-rickshaw is banned on highways permanently I will be helpless. Any decision we can take,” said Kabir Hossain, an auto-rickshaw driver in Feni.  “Government took the decision whimsically. About 50 lakh people are involved in this sector. What we will do if we quit auto-rickshaw business. We have nothing to do but agitation,” said Jamir Uddin, a owner of auto-rickshaw in Comilla.  Highway Police Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) Mallick Fakhrul Islam told The New Nation yesterday that no threat and disorder would be tolerated on the highways. Police will perform their duties as per the government’s decision.