Rangamati starts returning to normal state

The hill district of Rangamati has started returning to its normal look gradually.

The public life in the hill district started to become normal after the withdrawal of Section 144 and an indefinite transport strike the previous day.

On Monday morning, CNG-run autorickshaws began operating on the city’s roads. Shops and shopping malls have also started reopening although a panic still persists in the minds of people.

Bus services on Rangamati-Bandarban and Rangamati-Khagrachhari routes have still remained suspended although buses were running on the Rangamati-Chattogram route.

As the day progressed, the amount of public transport on the roads increased.

Md Yousuf, the assistant general secretary of the Rangamati-Chattogram Bus and Minibus Workers Union, said, “We resumed operating vehicles from this morning since the strike has been withdrawn.”

Although the fear had yet to completely subside, locals said they believed that Rangamati would gradually return to its previous state of normalcy.

Meanwhile, a 72-hour blockade by protesters under the banner of Jummo Chhatra-Janata Parishad following violence in Rangamati and Khagrachhari was underway. 

Moinuddin Selim, president of the Rangamati Launch Owners Association, said, “Launch services were currently suspended due to the blockade in six upazilas along the Kaptai Lake waterways.”