A transport union threatened to enforce a 48-hour strike from Monday unless the local administration withdraws the ban on collecting stones from quarries in the district by Sunday.
Sylhet divisional Truck, Pickup Van And Covered Van Owners-Workers' Solidary Council also threatened to go for a nonstop tougher program across the entire division unless their demands are met by the deadline, said Golam Hadi Chhoyful, convenor of the transport organization on Saturday.
He added that they have made repeated requests to authorities to open the stone quarry, but they did not listen to them, reports Bangla Tribune.
“We have given a memorandum to the divisional commissioner and deputy commissioner on October 16. But no one took any step to help us,” he added.
Transport workers said stones from the quarries of Sylhet's Bholaganj, Bichnakandi, Jaflong, and Luvachora had long been transported across the country since the country's independence.
They informed that some 1.5 million people directly or indirectly are involved with the transportation and stone collecting business.
But, they have been bearing the brunt of the economic crisis for a long time because of the ban.
Those who bought vehicles for transporting stones by taking loans from banks have been hit hard, they said.
They also alleged that the administration has closed the quarries for the sake of the environment, but it has been impacting their lives.
