Chittagong Bureau :
The civic life in Chittagong city and district was normal yesterday despite hartal called by BNP-led 20 party alliance.
The 36-hour hartal so enforced by BNP-led 20-party alliance amid blockade passed off in relaxed mood across the Chittagong district since Tuesday morning. The 36-hr hartal of the alliance gets poor response over all, different sources said. Few straw incidents like hurling of cocktails, vandalism in private vehicles except major one were occurred yesterday.
Members of the law enforcement agencies maintained a sharp security vigil in the city and district during the hartal, police and eyewitness sources said.
BNP along with its alliance called a 36-hour hartal in Chittagong city and district from Tuesday morning demanding release of 20-party leaders and activists and withdrawal of cases against them.
Metropolitan and District police control room sources said there was no report of any untoward incident from any part of the city and the district during the Hartal hours. Police and witnesses said that there was hardly any picketing or procession by BNP-Jamaat activists during the shutdown. All kinds of motorized vehicles including CNG three wheelers were seen plying on the city streets while small number of buses and heavy vehicles on the long distance routes plied with police escort during the hartal. Though academic activities in the educational institutions remained closed, attendance in the government and private offices was as usual. Rickshaws, tempos and battery-run three-wheelers were dominating the city streets while presence of private cars was thin due to fear of possible vandalism and arson attack. Bangladesh Awami League (AL) and its front organizations including Bangladesh Chhatra League dominated almost all the city streets by holding at least 23 rallies and bringing out processions.
Chittagong city unit President and former mayor A B M Mohiuddin Chowdhury addressed a series of way side rallies where he said the hartal totally failed as the people of Chittagong rejected it.
Meanwhile, Peshajibi Somonnoy Parished in Chittagong formed a human chain in front of Chittagong Press Clublast noon protesting the countrywide terrorism, arson and burning of general people in the name of movement. They called upon the government to deal with the terrorists with strong hand. Apart from regular law enforcers, additional members of police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed in Chittagong and some other parts of the district to maintain law and order during hartal. Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) authority sources said that operational activities inside the CEPZ went on in full swing and attendance of the workers was almost normal.
Abul Kalam Azad, Chittagong Station Manager of Bangladesh Railway told that all scheduled trains to and from the port city left and arrived but delayed.
All domestic and international flights at Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport took off and landed according to schedule, airport sources said.
Operational activities including loading and unloading of cargoes at ships inside the port and outer anchorage went on in full swing but transportation of export-import goods to and from the port jetty was hampered due to disruption in vehicular movements on the roads, port sources said.
The alliance called the shutdown in protest of confining BNP chief Khaleda Zia to her office, arresting the alliance leaders and activists and filing ‘false’ cases against them across the country and police atrocities in the houses of the BNP leaders.
The city BNP president in his press statement of Monday demanded unconditional release of the BNP and alliance leaders otherwise toughter movement will be enforced he announced. .
The civic life in Chittagong city and district was normal yesterday despite hartal called by BNP-led 20 party alliance.
The 36-hour hartal so enforced by BNP-led 20-party alliance amid blockade passed off in relaxed mood across the Chittagong district since Tuesday morning. The 36-hr hartal of the alliance gets poor response over all, different sources said. Few straw incidents like hurling of cocktails, vandalism in private vehicles except major one were occurred yesterday.
Members of the law enforcement agencies maintained a sharp security vigil in the city and district during the hartal, police and eyewitness sources said.
BNP along with its alliance called a 36-hour hartal in Chittagong city and district from Tuesday morning demanding release of 20-party leaders and activists and withdrawal of cases against them.
Metropolitan and District police control room sources said there was no report of any untoward incident from any part of the city and the district during the Hartal hours. Police and witnesses said that there was hardly any picketing or procession by BNP-Jamaat activists during the shutdown. All kinds of motorized vehicles including CNG three wheelers were seen plying on the city streets while small number of buses and heavy vehicles on the long distance routes plied with police escort during the hartal. Though academic activities in the educational institutions remained closed, attendance in the government and private offices was as usual. Rickshaws, tempos and battery-run three-wheelers were dominating the city streets while presence of private cars was thin due to fear of possible vandalism and arson attack. Bangladesh Awami League (AL) and its front organizations including Bangladesh Chhatra League dominated almost all the city streets by holding at least 23 rallies and bringing out processions.
Chittagong city unit President and former mayor A B M Mohiuddin Chowdhury addressed a series of way side rallies where he said the hartal totally failed as the people of Chittagong rejected it.
Meanwhile, Peshajibi Somonnoy Parished in Chittagong formed a human chain in front of Chittagong Press Clublast noon protesting the countrywide terrorism, arson and burning of general people in the name of movement. They called upon the government to deal with the terrorists with strong hand. Apart from regular law enforcers, additional members of police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed in Chittagong and some other parts of the district to maintain law and order during hartal. Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) authority sources said that operational activities inside the CEPZ went on in full swing and attendance of the workers was almost normal.
Abul Kalam Azad, Chittagong Station Manager of Bangladesh Railway told that all scheduled trains to and from the port city left and arrived but delayed.
All domestic and international flights at Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport took off and landed according to schedule, airport sources said.
Operational activities including loading and unloading of cargoes at ships inside the port and outer anchorage went on in full swing but transportation of export-import goods to and from the port jetty was hampered due to disruption in vehicular movements on the roads, port sources said.
The alliance called the shutdown in protest of confining BNP chief Khaleda Zia to her office, arresting the alliance leaders and activists and filing ‘false’ cases against them across the country and police atrocities in the houses of the BNP leaders.
The city BNP president in his press statement of Monday demanded unconditional release of the BNP and alliance leaders otherwise toughter movement will be enforced he announced. .
