Locals block highway for ‘Burimari Express’ to start from Burimari Station in Lalmonirhat

Locals in Lalmonirhat on Monday enforced an indefinite blockade on the Burimari Highway, demanding the direct operation of the ‘Burimari Express’ train from the Burimari Station.

The protest began Monday morning at Hatibandha Medical intersection, where the protestors blocked the highway with tree logs, disrupting all long-distance bus and truck movement. However, small vehicles are still being allowed to pass, UNB reports. 

The protesters warned that they would continue the blockade until the ‘Burimari Express’ starts direct service from Burimari Station to Dhaka.

Locals said they have been blocking roads and railways between Hatibandha and Patgram since April 21 to press the same demand, completely halting train services across four upazilas on the Lalmonirhat-Burimari route for the past eight days.

The ‘Burimari Express’ was officially inaugurated on March 12 last year, but it has yet to operate directly from Burimari to Dhaka, causing severe suffering for residents of Patgram, Hatibandha, Kaliganj, and Aditmari upazilas.

Expressing frustration, the protesters said naming the train ‘Burimari Express’ without operating it from Burimari amounts to deceiving the local people.

They vowed to continue their protest until their demand is met.

Currently, the train is operating from Lalmonirhat Sadar Station to Dhaka, but the Burimari station is around 90 kilometer off the Sadar station.

If the train runs from the Burimari station, thousands of residents of Patgram, Hatibandha, Kaliganj, and Aditmari upazilas will reap benefits from it.