Meet Hasina, Khaleda
Country’s apparel associations on Monday met with prime minister Sheikh Hasina and submitted a memorandum to opposition leader Khaleda Zia asking them to reach a consensus and resolve the political crisis over the next general elections. Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association and Bangladesh Textile Mills Association leaders made the demand to safeguard the industry and the economy.
They took the initiative amid the second spell of the nationwide blockade enforced by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led opposition alliance and arson attack on Standard Group on November 28 allegedly by miscreants in guise of workers.
They told both the leaders that condition of the apparel sector, already facing serious crisis, might deteriorate unless the political situation was improved.
They said that miscreants burned the Standard Group
factory in Gazipur taking chance of political uncertainty.
Former BGMEA president Abdus Salam Murshedy told New Age that the prime minister had assured them of all supports including policy assistances for reopening of the Standard Group factory.
He said that Hasina would visit the gutted factory.
The associations held an emergency meeting on Monday and reviewed the overall situation. Besides submitting memos, they decided to form a human chain in front of National Press Club on Wednesday protesting against sabotage at Standard Group factory.
Around 200 leaders and members of the associations started marching from BGMEA headquarters at Karwan Bazar towards the prime minister’s office. They were intercepted by the police at Farmgate.
Later, a 20-member delegation was allowed to meet the prime minister at about 6:30pm.
The leaders of the associations also demanded enactment of a special law to protect industry, measures for preventing sabotage, identification of the culprits involved in the sabotage at Standard Group factory in seven days and compensation for the factory.
They went to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s office at Gulshan at night and placed a memorandum on three-point demand.
The demands include initiative for resolving the ongoing political stalemate, keeping apparel sector and transports carrying exports goods and essential commodities out of the purview of political programmes.
BGMEA president Atiqul Islam, acting BKMEA president Mohammed Hatem and BTMA president Jahangir Alamin lead the delegation on behave of respective associations.
Urging the two top political leaders to shun the confrontational politics, they said that the apparel sector was on brink of collapse because of frequent general strikes, blockades and political chaos that almost paralysed the supply chain.
The government has already decided to provide special police protection to vehicles carrying export goods on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway during general strike and blockades.
According to the decision, trucks and covered van carrying export and import goods will have to reach between 9:00pm and 10:00pm at Kanchpur Bridge to receive the protection on way to Chittagong.
The police will provide protection to the vehicles carrying goods from Chittagong sea port to Dhaka at the same time.
BGMEA will open control rooms in Dhaka and Chittagong for monitoring the activities.
Vehicles have been requested to move following the routes — Sreepur-Gazipur-Board Bazaar-Tongi-Abdullapur-Uttara-Airport-Kuril Bishwa Road-Jatrabari-Kanchpur and Savar-Ashulia-Narasinghapur-Abdullapur-Uttara-Airport-Kuril Bishwa Road-Jatrabari-Kanchpur.
-With New Age input
