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No blockade, but highway blocked

People in northern region suffer

Sohel Parvez
For those, who thought Friday would be safe for travelling by road since it is weekly holiday and there had been no hartal or blockade announced, it was a nightmare all the way to the destination. The Lutfor-Ripa family, with two kids, had left Dhaka Thursday night in a pick-up van with all their belongings to shift to village home in Atrai, Naogaon. But they hardly knew what was waiting for them in the way. Their suffering began after crossing the Bangabandhu bridge on the Jamuna river, as Jamaat activists had blocked the Sirajganj-Bogra highway with logs and trees in protest at the execution of Jamaat leader and convicted war criminal Abdul Quader Mollah.
The family had to pass the night there, stranded.
In the morning, they resumed the journey behind an army convoy and reached Bogra bus terminal around 2:00pm. But the convoy was going to Rangpur, not where the family was heading.
From Bogra, Lutforand his family were to go 50 more miles to Naogaon, braving the road blocked with logs and trees by Jamaat-Shibirmen.
"We have passed a terrible night on the road. It is still uncertain whether we would be able to reach home safely with our daughters and all these belongings," said Lutfor holding his two-ye ar-old daughter in his arms.
Not only Lutfor and his family, hundreds of people, including the elderly and children, suffered and fell prey to uncertainty reaching their destinations due to highway blockades by Jamaat supporters.
Most of the travellers picked Friday assuming they would be able to move easily as no political party - BNP or its key ally Jamaat - had declared blockade or shutdown for the day. But halfway in the journey, they discovered that the highways to the northern di str icts were b locked.
"Who knew that I would have to face such suffering on Friday?" said Mahmudur Reza Shafi, who left the capital for Rangpur on Thursday. He had to walk miles and hire rickshaw van when possible after Sirajganj upto Bogra.
Yesterday around 2:00pm, Shafi was seen passing the Bogra bus terminal on foot along with many others.
Early in the afternoon, a silent but aggressive procession of people was seen going both directions of the highway in front of Bogra bus terminal. Not far away, smoke was billowing from fires made on the roads with chunks of brick and concrete lying here and there.
"It was unexpected. Travelling should have been easier today |Friday], as there was no hartal," said construction worker Rezaul Karim, who also had to walk since morning yesterday from Naogaon to go to Sirajganj.
In the afternoon, elderly farm worker Rafiqul Islam and seven of his mates were also found walking since the morning from Nandigram, Bogra for their village at Dimla in Nilphamari. By bus it usually takes three and a half hours to go the distance.
"We have remained stranded since Saturday last due to the blockades and hartals. Already, we have spent half our earnings from farm work since we have