Transport workers brought out a procession in Lakshmipur town yesterday, demanding smooth gas supply and protesting the closing down of the Chandraganj Shahi CNG filing station.
A large number of CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver formed a human chain and blocked the Dhaka-Raipur highway from 10am to noon, resulting a tailback on both sides of road on the Dhaka-Noakhali Highway.
Later, police rushed to the spot and removed the blockade dispersing the transport workers.
The agitated workers said they had been facing gas crisis for the last two months, but the authorities are yet to take any measure to solve the crisis.
Transport workers said they could not refuel their vehicles despite waiting in long queue for hours.
“We were forced to take to the street as authorities are not taking any action over the issue.”
The workers said they had to submit Tk500/Tk600 to auto-rickshaw owner per day.
“It has become tough for us to manage the money as we cannot run vehicles on run for shortage of gas,” said another worker.
Owner of a filing station Mezbah-ur-Rahman Chisti said: “We have closed the station temporarily because of low pressure of gas.”
Filling station owners are facing huge losses due to the on-going gas crisis, he said, urging the government to take measures to ease gas crisis so that they could get rid of the problem.