A group of 11 activists has marched from Chattogram to Cox’s Bazar, demanding the expansion of the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highway into six lanes. As part of their protest, they organized a public signature campaign.
On Wednesday morning, the protesters, under the banner “Amra 11 Jon (Nihoto)” (We, the 11 Deceased), began their march from Chattogram Press Club, wearing white burial shrouds as a symbolic gesture.
During their journey, they held human chains and collected public signatures in various upazilas of South Chattogram. By Thursday afternoon (April 10), they reached the Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner’s office, where they held a brief rally before submitting a memorandum containing six key demands to Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Salahuddin.
Sourav Priyo Pal, the chief coordinator of the movement, stated that the march was initiated in memory of 11 people who died in a road accident in Lohagara, Chattogram, on April 1. “This highway must be expanded to six lanes immediately to prevent further tragedies,” he emphasized.
The protesters also demanded restrictions on salt-laden trucks traveling from Cox’s Bazar, citing their role in increasing road hazards. They argued that the highway remains highly accident-prone and needs urgent safety improvements.
Notably, in the first three days of Eid-ul-Fitr, separate accidents in the Lohagara section of the highway claimed 17 lives and injured over 30 people. The activists urged the government to take swift action to prevent such fatalities in the future.
By Abdur Rashid Manik
Photo: Courtesy
