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Saturday | October 10, 2026 | Dhaka

Blockade hits hard livelihood of day-labourers in Sylhet

 New Nation
 Published: 12:00 AM, 07 January 2015

S.A. Shofiee, Sylhet :
Poor people, particularly day-labourers, have been affected most due to the frist days of non-stop countrywide Blockade (general strike) on Tuesday.
Rally Blockade shutdowns enforced by the 20th party alliance not only paralysed normal life but also took a heavy toll on the livelihood of those who live from hand to mouth.People from all walks of life suffered a lot for the shutdowns as they could not come out of their houses due to panic triggered by Blockade violence.
Day-labourers Sylhet City and District are the most affected as they were compelled to sit idle at their house during Blockade instead of searching for work to earn their daily bread.People of the district are still passing days in panic as they do not know whether the ongoing violence resulting from the political crisis will stop or not in near future.
Blockades have also pushed up the prices of essential commodities, including fish and vegetables, multiplying the sufferings of people, particularly low and fixed income groups.
Begging still rampant
Begging is still rampant in Sylhet city areas, especially in Dargha and Airport Area, where some beggars are running the lucrative business engaging their entire family.
But if anyone goes through the roads of airport by private car, public transport or rickshaw or even on foot, he would have to encounter beggars. The beggars are seen frequently collecting alms from the people, even from the foreigners, despite the announcement. The beggars are also seen frequently seeking alms at bus stands, railway stations, markets, road intersections and at traffic signals in city areas, including Shahjalal (R:) Shahporan (R:) Dargha, Amborkhana, Zindabazar, Qudratullah market and where not!Their techniques are different. Some sing songs, some tell stories, some recite poems and some play tune. But, most embarrassing is that beggars often taunt and misbehave with people if they are not given money. Sometimes the beggars come in groups. Sometimes women are seen carrying babies on their laps while some others are seen walking with the help of small boys.
They are all professional beggars seen seeking alms from the people. Members of the same family are also engaged in the profession in different ways. They all earn money from begging, which in total becomes a good amount and more lucrative amount than any other profitable business, the sources said.
A senior official of SCC told that begging has become a popular profession for some hardcore criminals and they force poor and disabled people in begging under a syndicate.”There is an inter-relation between poverty and begging among physically disabled people.
The SCC official said. Ministry officials said that there is no specific data on number of beggars in the Sylhet and others major cities. However, different government and non-government agencies estimate that it would more than two million across the country. The number of beggars in the Sylhet alone may be over 10,000, they said.