A severe traffic jam has brought a key stretch of the Dhaka–Chittagong Highway to a standstill since Tuesday noon, after a protest by garment workers blocked part of the road in Narayanganj’s Sonargaon area.
The congestion has stretched from Tipurdi to the Meghna toll plaza, leaving commuters and drivers stranded for hours and causing widespread disruption.
According to local sources, garment workers began a protest around 1:00pm on the Dhaka–Chittogram Highway in front of Chaity Garments, near the Tipurdi area of Sonargaon. The workers blocked parts of the highway, staging demonstrations across two lanes while demanding payment of outstanding wages, including dues from April, along with their May salaries ahead of Eid.
The factory authorities, however, reportedly expressed their inability to clear the full payments, triggering anger among the workers. In response, they intensified their protest and enforced a blockade on the highway.
The demonstration has caused severe traffic congestion since noon, with tailbacks stretching from Tipurdi to the Meghna toll plaza. The gridlock has led to significant suffering for commuters and transport workers.
Arman Mia, a passenger on a Tisha bus, said he became stuck in the gridlock upon reaching Madanpur around noon. “The vehicles have not moved at all since then,” he said.
Truck driver Rafik Mia said the sudden congestion took him by surprise. “There was no sign of traffic earlier in the morning. I don’t understand how it became so severe all of a sudden,” he added.
Confirming the situation, Shamim Sheikh, officer-in-charge of Kanchpur Highway Police, told Dhaka Tribune that workers of Chaity Garments began a road blockade around noon, demanding unpaid wages and bonuses.
The protest forced traffic to be restricted to a single lane, triggering a tailback that has since extended up to the Meghna toll plaza.
Police said efforts are ongoing to persuade the workers to clear the road and restore normal traffic movement.
