Six trucks that carry sands for a vital renovation work of the Shahjalal International Airport were forcibly taken by police to block the roads around BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's residence.

Since December 28, police forced nine

truck owners to place their vehicles on the two roads near Khaleda's Gulshan house, blocking traffic movement to and from the house to "ensure her security".

Of the nine, eight are sand-laden and the other is empty. On the night of December 28, the eve of the Dhaka march programme, police first placed five sand-laden trucks on the roads. Three of them used to cany sands for the airport renovation work while the two others were brought from the capital's Banani area on their way to Badda.

Then on the night of December 30, the second day of the opposition march, these five trucks were replaced with four others. Three of them were engaged in the upgrading work of the airport's taxiway and the other one was empty.

The pulling out of the trucks is hampering the

renovation work being implemented under a project funded by the Danish International Development Agency, said a top official of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh.

Such an action has also created panic among truck owners and many of them have stopped carrying construction materials for the project.

"Previously, 500 trucks used to carry construction materials for the project. But following an arbitrary requisition of some trucks, only 150 to 200 trucks are now carrying construction items," said a trader who supplies such materials for the project.

Babul Miah, driver of a sand-laden truck, told The Daily Star that two traffic police forced him to take his vehicle to the customs house ofthe airport on the night ofDecember 28.

After checking the papers, police took him and his helper to Gulshan Police Station. Around 10:15pm, they led the truck towards Khaleda's house and placed it on a road leading to the house, he said.

Police found his papers all right, but they still took him and his helper to Gulshan Police Station. Around 10:15pm, police took the truck towards Khaleda's house and placed it on a road

leading to the house, he said.

“We are passing an idle time and incurring losses, as we did during the opposition blockades," hesaid.

Mohammad Alamgir, owner of the truck said he had to count a loss of around Tk 6,500 per night.

"After the opposition blockades, we got a few days to operate. But then law enforcers have taken the truck and I don't know when they'll release the driver and the truck," he said.

Abdullahpur-based sand supplier Mohammad Zakir, from whom the truckers used

to collect sands, apprehends he might incur losses as well because the supply was bei ng hampered.

Asked why those trucks have been kept on the roads, Khandker Lutftil Kabir, deputy commissioner (Gulshan division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, declined to make any com ment.

However, some cops who were on duty around Khaleda's house were found joking about it "The trucks have gone out of order."

The joke was readily picked up by a truck helper, who, when his truck was allowed to leave on Monday night told newsmen: "We're leaving as the truck that had gone out of order is now ok."