Chittagong Bureau :The 36-hour hartal enforced by BNP-led 20-party alliance amid blockade was observed in a relaxed mood across Chittagong district since yesterday morning. The 36 hours hartal of the alliance gets poor response over all, different sources said. The shutdown was observed in Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari districts. Besides, Tuesday is the fifteenth day of nationwide road-rail-waterway blockade called by BNP-led alliance.Leaders and activists of the alliance were reported nowhere to bring out procession, carry out sabotage and picket across the five districts since the morning.No bus on long-distance and inter-district routes either left or entered in the city. Private cars and public transports were hardly seen plying on the city thoroughfare. However, light vehicles like commuter service, tempos, auto rickshaws were seen plying as usual. The city roads fully occupied by the rickshaws and motor run rickshaws. Inter-city and local mail trains are running on schedules. Flight schedule from Ctg International Airport remain uninterrupted. Port sources said the cargo handling activities inside the inner berth and outer berth remained as usual but no consignment was delivered from the port shed. The attendances in govt, semi govt , banks offices did not hampered and transactions in banks remained undisturbed. However, the educational institutions remained closed for two days due to hartal call. Security measures have been tightened across the city and the districts. Along with additional police forces, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel are put on duty during hartal hours.Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) additional commissioner (crime and operation) Banaj Kumar Mazumder told that additional police remained deployed and six platoons of BGB have also been kept deployed.”CMP additional deputy commissioner (Detective Branch) M Hasan Chowdhury told this correspondent that a total of 2,000 police have been deployed to avert destructive activities of the hartal picketers .”If anyone wants to carry out sabotages, police will prevent them in strong hands,’ Hasan warned.”Six platoons BGB remained deployed in five vulnerable upazilas and additional police forces at all upazilas since earlier,” said AKM Hafiz, superintendent of police at Chittagong.Metropolitan BNP president, also alliance convener, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury announced a 36-hour hartal on Mondaynto press home their demands . 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.
