Ban on stone lifting: 48-hr goods transport strike in Sylhet

Workers and owners of goods transports has called a 48-hour strike in Sylhet district from midnight (October 31, 2022).

They decided to suspend truck, pickup van and covered van services till November 1, demanding withdrawal of ban on stone extraction from the quarries of the four districts under the division, our Sylhet correspondent reports.

Sylhet Divisional Truck, Pickup Van and Covered Van Owners-Workers Council also threatened to go for a strike in Sylhet division from November 3 if the demand is not met by that time.

According to the environmental rights activists, rampant stone extraction destroyed hillocks and riverbeds, posing serious environmental threat.

The activists said that the transport workers' illogical demand should not be met.

According to the Bureau of Mineral Development, there are eight stone quarries in Sylhet district -- four in Companiganj upazila, two in Gowainghat and one each in Kanaighat and Jaintiapur upazilas.

A top-level committee was formed by the Cabinet Division on December 3, 2019 and in accordance to its suggestion, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division on February 18, 2020 and November 2, 2020 instructed to stop all stone extraction, the bureau reports showed.

Shabbir Ahmed Foyez, organising secretary of Sylhet District Truck Owners' Group, said, said, "There is no other industry in Sylhet. Depending only on the stone industry, transport owners get involved in this business. At the moment, the owners of at least 30,000 trucks are unable to pay the installments. In addition, millions of workers of these transports are unemployed."

"Considering the fact, we called the strike," he added.

The transport leader said, "We urge the administration to form committee to ensure manual stone extraction by protecting environment."

Contacted, Md Mozibor Rahman, deputy commissioner of Sylhet, said, "A top-level committee has been formed recently who are considering the fact whether stone extraction should be allowed and if it is allowed, what would be the method. We have urged the transport workers to wait till the committee decide on the matter."