Chitagong Bureau :
About 16 river berths (ghats) of Chittagong Port Channel in the Karnaphuli River remained paralysed from Wednesday midnight following the strike called by the Bangladesh River Transports Workers Federation in demand of the increase of salary and allowances, among others.
The loading and the unloading in these ghats remained suspended from Wednesday midnight, sources said. But the port’s terminal remained active. Chittagong Port control room sources said that four vessels left the port and eight anchored in the inner berths. Reliable sources of port users told this correspondent that the workers of these ghats declined to unload the lighter vessels.
Joint secretary of the workers federation Khorshed Alam told that the foreign vessels did not face any trouble in loading and unloading. But the loading and the unloading of the lighter vessels remained suspended.
A reliable leader of the workers federation told that they submitted 15 points demand to the concerned ministry and held several meetings with them in last 10 days, but to no purpose.
The strike was enforced from 12 midnight from Wednesday, sources said.
