The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Several thousands of readymade garment shop owners and workers went berserk, setting two motor launches ablaze and ransacking six others on the Buriganga river yesterday protesting the closure of a pier near Sadarghat launch terminal.

At least 50 staff of the launches, policemen and Ansars were injured as the angry protestors pelted the launches with brickbats indiscriminately, smashed the windows, looted valuables and threw out furniture of the boats before torching two of them.

Launch services from Sadarghat remained stopped all through the day as the owners observed a wildcat strike protesting the attacks. Owners of around 10,000 business establishments particularly readymade garment shop owners and workers and several garment factories in the area also kept their shutter down demanding reinstallation of the pier.

Hours after angry workers set fire to two launches, the BIWTA authorities decided to keep the pier, known as Masjidghat, on the east of Sadarghat launch terminal, operation for one more month. The decision came from a meeting among the high officials of BIWTA and district and police administration.

BIWTA director Mahbubul Alam said they decided to keep the pier operational for one more month. Later, it would be shifted to a new place on the basis of talks with all the parties concerned.

Earlier, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Kamal Hossain and district superintendent of police (SP) Mahbub Hossain also gave similar assurances while visiting the spot in the morning.

Witnesses said the protesters started gathering on the riverbank at Telghat in South Keraniganj since 7:00am and started demonstration finding that the pier at Simpson Road Ghat has been closed by the BIWTA for setting up three more pontoons.

Businessmen said around 10,000 shops at South Keraniganj mainly remain operational as consumers from the city use the lone pier (Guadaraghat) for shopping to their markets. They claimed closure of the terminal would bring an end to their businesses at their shops in four markets--Zilla Parishad Market, Alam Market, Chowdhurynagar Market and Nuru Market.

Witnesses said around 50 people, including 10-15 policemen were injured as the shop owners and workers took part in the in the clash.

Police and witnesses said around 30,000 demonstrators gathered the riverbank, opposite to Sadarghat launch terminal, by 9:30am and went berserk. They pelted brickbats on several launches anchored near the riverbank indiscriminately.

Local sources said the protesters took to the street at about 10:00 am as the BIWTA closed the river terminal adjacent to the markets and opposite to Sadarghat launch terminal.

As police charged baton on the unruly protesters, they threw brickbats on the law enforcers turning the area virtually into a battlefield.

During the incident, the agitated traders and their workers set fire to two double-deck motor-launches-Barisal-bound Obhijan-3 and Fatullah-bound Reaz-4 from Sadarghat.

Later, fire fighters and a navy team rushed to the spot and doused the fire at about 1:20pm.

Police arrested at least four people from the spot.

They were identified as former secretary of Zilla

Parishad Market Committee Abdul Aziz, Obaidul Munshi, Babul Dhali and Abdus Sattar.

Md Badiuzzaman Badal, acting chairman of Bangladesh Inland Waterways Passenger Carriers Association, said "Angry people set fire to two of our launches and burnt down three others partially."

"Launch operators will not bring their launches back to Sadarghat unless the authorities can provide them necessary safety and security," he said.

He said the launch owners and workers are feeling insecured. The workers are moving their launches from Sadarghat to other places.

Launch movement from Sadarghat terminal came to a halt following the trouble and all the launches were shifted elsewhere from the ghat area.

BIWTA sources said they were forced to close down the terminal

at Kaliganj following repeated accidents at the terminal.

There are around 10,000 shops of readymade garments in the four markets.

Babul Dhali, a garment trader of Gudaraghat Alam Tower, said: "Thousands of people use Masjidghat every day to go to the markets of Gudaraghat. There are around 150 markets near the pier."

The pier is 200 years old, Dhali said. "When the people saw that the pier was closed down in the morning, they set fire to two launches,' he said.

The BIWTA officials, the police and the officials of district administration met for around two hours and cancelled the order to close down the pier.

The launch owners' organisation held a meeting at the same time and decided not to anchor their launches in the pier unless the authorities assured them of security.