Protesters in Bhanga once again blocked highways on Tuesday, demanding the reversal of a move that cut Algi and Hamirdi unions from Bhanga upazila in Faridpur-4 constituency and added them to Faridpur-2.
The blockade, which began around 8:15am, triggered severe traffic congestion on the Dhaka-Khulna and Dhaka-Barisal highways, cutting off road communication between Dhaka and 21 districts in the southwest region.
Protesters staged demonstrations at several points — Pukuria and Madhabpur bus stand in Hamirdi union along the Dhaka-Barisal highway, and at Munsurabad bus stand and Suyadi in Algi union along the Dhaka-Khulna highway. They set tyres on fire and used bamboo, logs, and even wooden cots to block the roads.
As a result, a 12km tailback stretched from Talmar Mor to Pukuria, and another 3km from Bhanga South Para towards Tekerhat on the Dhaka-Barisal highway. On the Dhaka-Khulna highway, a 6km jam stretched from Milligram on the Dhaka-Bhanga Expressway to Bhanga, and another 2km from Suyadi towards Joy Bangla Mor.
In total, traffic backed up for at least 15km on the Dhaka-Barisal highway and 8km on the Dhaka-Khulna highway, stranding hundreds of buses, trucks, and private vehicles. Thousands of passengers suffered long delays.
Sharmin Akter, a teacher at Pukuria Government Primary School in Bhanga, said she had to walk to school after her bus dropped her off at Talmar Mor because of the blockade. “I do not know when I will reach, but we support the just demands of Bhanga’s people,” she added.
Police from Bhanga police station and the highway police tried to control the situation but traffic remained at a standstill due to the large number of protesters. All vehicles except some emergency ones were stuck.
Bhanga Highway police station OC Rokibuzzaman said: “Since the highways have been blocked in all directions, traffic has snarled everywhere. Even our police vehicles cannot move because of the tree logs on the road. We are trying to clear the highways, but persuading the protesters has not worked.”
On September 4, the Election Commission published a gazette notification that moved Algi and Hamirdi unions from Faridpur-4 constituency to Faridpur-2, which includes Nagarkanda and Saltha upazilas.
