The Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday demanded immediate measures against the people responsible for consecutive torching of vehicles and vandalism at Sitakund of Dhaka-Chittagong highway for the past few days.
“Otherwise it will not be possible to continue export activities through the Chittagong Port when industrial production will also be hampered due to the lack of raw materials,” CCCI President Mahabubul Alam told a meeting with law enforcing agencies here.
He said 69 vehicles were set on fire and several hundred others vendalised on the 37-kilometer stretch of the highway in last couple of weeks, demanding highest degree of security measures to put an end to such anarchic situation.
“The exporters were losing orders for being failed to maintain the shipment dates while prices of food items increasing alarmingly due to the interruption in supply chain,” he said, adding that industries at different parts of the country were not getting raw materials on time.
Nawsher Ali Khan, deputy inspector general of police in Chittagong range, said they had been taking all out measures to ensure safety on the highway. He, however, urged the transport workers to keep sticks to protect the attackers.
“The miscreants are not more than seven to eight in numbers and they will not dare to torch or vendalise vehicles if the transport workers start protecting them,” he said.
Shafiqul Islam, commissioner of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police, said 700 police personnel were deployed at Sitakund for the past few days and insisted that none would dare to torch or vendalise the vehicles if the transport workers join police with sticks in their hands.
AKM Hafiz Akter, superintendent of police, Shahed Karim, commander of RAB-7, Abu Mohammed Mohiuddin, commanding officer of BGB, Mahabub Ul Alam, commander of Ansar and VDP, Nurun Newaj, senior vice president of CCCI, and Sayad Jamal Ahmed, vice president of CCCI, were present at the meeting.