Since the fall of the Awami League government, the general public is commenting that blocking the highway for any demand has become a trend, causing misfortune to ordinary working people.

Officers and employees who lost their jobs from Social Islami Bank (SIBL), Union Bank and Islami Bank have held a protest program by blocking the highway, demanding their jobs back. They held the protest program by blocking the Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar highway in the Moizartek area under Karnaphuli police station of the city from 9 am on Sunday (November 24). Hundreds of bankers who lost their jobs participated in the blockade.

At that time, a traffic jam was created on both sides of the road for several kilometers. Later, with the intervention of the administration, the protesters left the road around 11:30 am and traffic flow returned to normal.

An official of Social Islami Bank, who lost his job, said, “At least 1,200 officers have been dismissed from Social Islami Bank, Union Bank and Islami Bank in the last few months. These dismissals were completely unfair. We are holding this road blockade program to demand our jobs back.’

Another official of Social Islami Bank said that 672 officials were laid off in a notice on October 31. The officials were informed about the layoffs through an email on that day.

Meanwhile, the Chittagong-Cox’s Bazar highway was closed for two and a half hours, causing massive traffic jams on both sides of the road. People are suffering immensely. Moinuddin Jewel, a businessman from Chandanaish Upazila, was caught in this traffic jam on his way to a meeting in Cox’s Bazar. He lamented that this is the situation in the country and that the administration has brought the matter to the attention of the authorities. Another resident of Patiya said, ‘I left my house in the morning to come to Chittagong city. Due to the protest of bankers in Moizartek area, the movement of vehicles on the road was stopped. About a hundred dismissed bankers blocked this road. I got out of the car due to the traffic jam on the road. Later, I will take another car to avoid the traffic jam and come to Chittagong city.

When asked about this, DC of Police Shakila Sultana told Morning Glory, we received the news at 9:30 in the morning and brought the situation under control within an hour, ‘Officers who lost their jobs from various banks blocked the road along with the protest demanding their jobs back. Later, we persuaded them and removed them from the road. Currently, traffic on the road is completely normal.