A human chain was also held in Sreemangal to express solidarity with the National Press Club’s program held to achieve various reasonable demands, in addition to the 8-point demands announced at the call of the people of Greater Sylhet in Dhaka.
This human chain program was held at Sreemangal Railway Station at 10:30 am on Saturday (October 18) under the banner of “We, the People of Sreemangal”.
Under the chairmanship of senior journalist Syed Nessar Ahmed and moderated by journalist Syed Sayed Ahmed, speeches were delivered by Debabrata Dutta Habul, Md. Kawsar Iqbal, M. A. Rahim Nomani, Md. Ekramul Kabir, Md. Amjad Hossain Bachchu, Kazi Achma, Sanjay Dev, Abdul Qadir, Sayidul Islam Saju, Shah Masud Ahmed etc.
The speakers said that if these reasonable demands are not implemented quickly, a strong movement will start from Sreemangal.
The speakers mentioned that the rapid development of the railway and road communication system is a prerequisite for the people of Sylhet, along with the overall development of the Sylhet division, which is a victim of extreme discrimination.
The speakers said that unity, awareness and joint efforts are needed to accelerate the development of the greater Sylhet region.
They sought the government’s prompt action on the reform, modernization of the railway and the development of road infrastructure.
For three decades, the people of Sylhet have been continuously deprived of the development of the railway and roads of Sylhet division, which has now taken an extreme form.
The people of Sreemangal are vocal with the people of Sylhet at home and abroad in demanding the rapid development of the terrible Dhaka-Sylhet highway, the British-era rail connection.
The Sylhet-Dhaka highway is the name of a great suffering.
It now takes 10-24 hours to reach a destination that used to be six hours. Train tickets are also a golden deer. The fare by air is higher than that of Dhaka-Kolkata.
The people of Sylhet, who are suffering from the communication problems, have now become angry. Along with people from different classes of pressure, social and political organizations have also taken to the field.