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Stuck in capital

Blockade forces many to overstay in city as communications with districts cut off

Helemul Alam
Nargis Begum had started from Jessore to attend her stepmother's qulkhwani in Noakhali. Due to the abruptly announced opposition blockade, however, she found herself stuck in the capital yesterday.
"I could not also attend her funeral on Tuesday because of the last blockade," said the 45-year-old woman at Sayedabad bus
terminal, trying to hold back her tears. "It is too sad that I could not see her when she passed away."
Nargis reached Gabtoli with her sister and three nephews at 6:00am yesterday and managed to go to Sayedabad. But no interdistrict bus left the terminal because of the 72-hour blockade.
She was scouring the terminal even at
FROM PAGE 16 midday, looking for a bus that would take her to Noakhali.
She had started around 9:00pm Friday after watching news. Little did she know that another blockade would be announced only about half an hour later.
"We are now trying to find shelter here, as going to my destination will not be possible for the next few days," she said.
Announced by the 18-party opposition alliance, the blockade has put thousands of people in harm's way, giving them little time to change their plans.
Shahidul Islam, who works at Keraniganj, was stranded at Kamalapur railway station. He said, "My daughter is terribly sick at home in Kishoreganj. I have to go there but no bus is plying today."
Sohrab Hossain and five other day labourers, who work at a ship-breaking yard in Chittagong, stopped at the station at 7:00am. They were headed for their Bogra
home where they would harvest paddy.
"The next train is supposed to depart at 7:00pm today. We do not have any choice but to wait here until then," said Sohrab, adding that in Dhaka they do not have any relatives who can put them up for now.
Mohammad Shamim, who works at a private firm, had started his journey on a bus from Cox's Bazar yesterday afternoon. The driver refused to go anywhere else as soon as it stopped at Sayedabad bus terminal at daybreak.
"I am in a terrible situation with my infant daughters because I do not have any relatives here," he said.
Nineteen labourers were also waiting at the bus terminal helplessly. For them, yesterday was the last date to join work at a brick kiln in Feni.
Mosharraf Hossain, one of the labourers from Jessore, said, "We have to reach Feni by any means. If we fail, it might cost us our work."