Polytechnic students block road, severe traffic congestion in city
A group of students under the banner of ‘Technical Student Movement’ have blocked the road in the Satrasta intersection area in the city's Tejgaon industrial area to press home their six-point demand.
Tejgaon Industrial Area police station officer-in-charge (OC) Gazi Shamimur Rahman told Prothom Alo that the students blocked the road around 12:00 pm today, Monday.
Gazi Shamimur Rahman further said that the vehicular movement on both sides of the road has been suspended because of the blockade. Attempts are on to remove the students who have blocked the road by reasoning with them.
Due to the road blockade, the traffic movement from Farmgate to Shahbagh via Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue has been at a standstill since 12:00 pm until writing this report.
The entire stretch of the road is marked red on the Google Maps. In addition to that, the Manik Mia Avenue and all the roads surrounding Moghbazar, Iskaton and Hatirjheel are also marked red. This means, there was severe traffic congestion on these roads.
Additional deputy commissioner at the traffic department of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in Tejgaon Tania Sultana told Prothom Alo that they are unable to let vehicles travel on the Bijoy Sarani flyover because of the demonstration of polytechnic students. This has created severe traffic congestion in different areas nearby.
Prothom Alo correspondent Ahmadul Hassan who was near FDC intersection around 1:30 pm, reported that there was severe traffic congestion there at that time. He said that he was stuck with his motorbike at one spot for a long time.
The six-point demand forwarded by the polytechnic institute students includes quick removal of all the craft instructors appointed in 2021 through questionable recruitment process from the directorate of technical education as well as from all other institutes.
Ensuring four years of education in the diploma engineering course and making full term (six months) for each semester. No one other than the diploma engineers can apply for the post of deputy assistant engineer (10th grade) and the post of the deputy assistant engineer and equivalent posts have to be reserved for the diploma engineers only.
Besides, the board of technical education has to be reformed and there should be no staff outside of the technical education in the management of the technical sector. The teacher crisis has to be sorted by revising the controversial recruitment rules of the directorate of technical education and by appointing technical staff in all the vacant posts.
And lastly, in order to increase the scope for higher education it has to be ensured that 100 per cent seats in the four proposed engineering colleges will be reserved for the diploma in engineering students.