Traffic snarls as garment workers block Kuril road over unpaid wages

Workers from a garment factory have occupied a road in Dhaka’s Kuril area to demand payment of wages and allowances, triggering severe traffic congestion.

The protest by employees of Eurozone Fashion Garments halted movement on both the incoming and outgoing lanes of the Badda-Kuril road shortly before noon on Wednesday, according to police. The disruption quickly spread to the Airport Road, causing long tailbacks in the area, said Assistant Commissioner Sohel Rana.

Commuters were left stranded in vehicles for hours under intense heat. Many passengers were forced to abandon cars and rickshaws and walk to their destinations, while parents collecting children after school were caught in the chaos.

Around 3pm, Toufiqur Rahman, who works at a motor parts shop in Kuril, said: “The workers are still blocking the road. Police officers are talking to them.”

confirmed the blockade.

Police personnel were deployed at the scene to negotiate with the protesters.

By late afternoon, police officers were continuing talks with the protesters to clear the road. Workers said they would not move until their demands for wages and allowances were addressed.

The disruption was widely discussed on the popular Traffic Alert page on Facebook.

One user, Hridoy Mridha, wrote: “Those who want to go to the airport should use the elevated expressway. There is heavy traffic on the Airport Road.”

The Gulshan Traffic Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police also posted a notice on its official Facebook page, warning commuters that around 500 Eurozone workers had blocked the road.

“As a result, no vehicles are moving between Kuril and Badda,” the post said.

The police advised commuters to take the following diversions:

• From Khilkhet: avoid the flyover and use the road below towards Mohakhali-Banani.
• From Rampura: take Badda Link Road via Gulshan-1 and Gulshan-2 towards Uttara.
• Alternatively from Rampura: go through Notun Bazar and Gulshan-2 towards the north.
• Those heading to Rampura: use the reverse routes via Kuratoli–Mohakhali–Kakoli, or through Amtali or Tejgaon.