Supply of tea, stone, coal from Sylhet to stop for 24 hrs Friday

The decision, announced earlier, will be enforced as the 72-hour ultimatum for resumption of BRTC service in three upazilas ended yesterday without any government response, Convener of the 17 Parganas Salish Samannaya Committee Sirajuddin Ahmed told The Daily Star yesterday.

The deadline was announced at a public meeting at Jainta upazila headquarters on Saturday by the Committee, a non-political people's forum, which includes representatives from all political parties.

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People and their representatives from the three upazilas-- Jaintapur, Kanaighat and Gowainghat-- attended the big rally.

Islam said people of the three upazilas will go for tougher programmes including indefinite hartal and road barricades to realise the demand for resumption of BRTC service.

Asked how supplies will be stopped, he said the suspension programme was announced at a public rally and instructions to all concerned to enforce the decision will be enough now.

"If we ask labourers not to collect and supply stones from quarries, they will stop work. Others will also do what the Committee says", he said. At least 20,000 labourers will stop work at quarries, he added.

As stated earlier, the Committee will announce a fresh agitation programme at a rally at Jaintapur on January 11, he said.

Meanwhile the Committee held several rallies in the three upazilas and brought out processions. Leaders of all political parties and Union Parishad leaders from the upazilas spoke at the rallies.

The speakers threatened of indefinite strike and other programmes if BRTC service is not resumed.

People's agitation was fuelled by the withdrawal of all the eight BRTC buses including four double-deckers from its temporary depot at Jaintapur upazila headquarters under police guard at about 3 AM on Sunday.

The people took it as cheating, some other leaders of the Committee said.

Police teams were sent from the district headquarters after midnight to bring the buses back to Sylhet city.

On January 2, a meeting at the Sylhet Divisional Commissioner's office decided to withdraw only the four double-deckers. But they withdrew all the busus, they said.

Earlier, several attempts to bring the buses back to Sylhet were foiled by people.

Several thousand people laid a siege to the Jaintapur BRTC bus depot for hours on December 24 and 25 as the authorities attempted to send the buses to Dhaka following an order by BRTC Director (Administration and Operation) Azhar Ali Talukder.

BRTC service in four routes from Sylhet Railway Station was introduced on 10 September.