S A Shofiee, Sylhet :
The situation is getting increasingly heated in Sylhet over the demand to start a stone quarry. Former mayor of the City Corporation and advisor to the BNP Chairperson Ariful Haque Chowdhury demanded the removal of the Sylhet Deputy Commissioner from the sit-in program of the Road Transport Owners and Workers Unity Council in Sylhet city on Wednesday.
During the program, chaired by the President of the Sylhet division of the Transport Workers Federation, Mainul Islam, a five-point demand was announced, including the resignation of the Deputy Commissioner, in solidarity with the stone and transport traders. If the demands were not met, the ‘Road Transport Owners and Workers Unity Council’ announced an all-out transport strike in Sylhet from July 5 (Saturday).
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Mohammad Sher Mahbub Murad held a meeting with the stone crusher owners and workers at 11 am today, Wednesday, to discuss the overall situation. The presidents of Sylhet district and metropolitan BNP and the general secretary of metropolitan BNP were present at the meeting.
Ariful Haque Chowdhury, Central BNP’s Microfinance Affairs Assistant Secretary Abdur Razzak, District BNP’s acting general secretary Ishtiaq Ahmed Chowdhury and other leaders attended the meeting to express solidarity with the stone workers and business people who were holding a sit-in program in the city’s Court Point area.
At this time, Ariful Haque said in his speech, “The power connection of legal stone crushing machines in different areas of the district has been disconnected without any notice. The establishments located in the city’s Majortila area have also been evicted without giving any time. The business community is affected and angry by this. The DC is destroying the business-friendly environment.”
He also claimed that the DC called a meeting with the stone-related parties, but no one participated out of anger. Ariful warned of a tough movement including a transport strike from Saturday if the DC is not removed by July 4.
He claimed that the stone and transport traders rejected the meeting called by the ‘incompetent and failed’ Deputy Commissioner.
Five demands were raised in the program. The demands are to open the closed stone quarries, stop the campaign to destroy crusher machines, end the detention of stone transporting trucks, stop the harassment and torture of drivers and remove the Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet.
Meanwhile, Sylhet District BNP President Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury, Metropolitan BNP Acting President Rezaul Hasan Qays Lodi and General Secretary Imdad Hossain Chowdhury were present at the meeting with the Deputy Commissioner.
The concerned representatives highlighted the ongoing crisis, losses and suffering of workers in this sector in the meeting. They called for a quick solution. The Deputy Commissioner listened carefully to the statements of all the parties concerned and assured to take sincere initiatives for a solution.
Earlier on Tuesday (July 2), during the ongoing movement demanding the opening of stone quarries, two vehicles carrying tourists were attacked in the Thana Bazar area of Companiganj upazila. On their way back after the protest, some protesters threw bricks at a private car and a white stone transport vehicle. Two vehicles were damaged.
Companyganj Police Station OC Uzayer Al Mahmud Adnan said, “The police went to the scene and brought the situation under control and arrested two people. No case has been filed yet, but action will be taken if any complaint is received.”
After the permanent closure of all stone quarries in Sylhet, Power and Energy Advisor Muhammad Fawzul Kabir Khan and Environment Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan visited Jaflong on June 14. On their way back, they were blocked by local BNP-Yubdal-Chhatra Dal leaders and stone workers.
After this incident, the administration launched a campaign against illegal stone crusher mills in Sylhet on the orders of the government. In the past week, the electricity of at least 300 stone crusher mills has been disconnected. Earlier, the district administration set up check posts at two entrances of Sylhet city from May 30 to catch illegal stone-carrying vehicles.
In the overall situation, on June 24, the Sylhet District Stone-Related Business Owners-Workers Unity Council called for a rally at the Sylhet Central Shaheed Minar.Various programms were announced at this rally and the leaders of Sylhet District-Metropolitan BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and NCP expressed solidarity with the demands of the stone-related businessmen.
