Ashraful Islam Joy:

A human chain was formed in front of Deputy Commissioner (DC) office in Sirajganj town on Sunday demanding formulation of a new upazila naming ‘Jamuna’ to remove discrimination and ease the public services.
They also brought out a procession that marched the main roads in the town and submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner seeking immediate steps in this regard.
Hundreds of people from different shoals (Chars) including Monsurnagor, Natuarpara, Khasrajbari, Tekani, Nishchintapur and Chargirish in the Jamuna basin Kazipur upazila under the banner of ‘Jamuna upazila implementation committee’ gathered in front of the DC office and took part in the demonstrations to press home their demand.
The movementists claimed that, six out of 12 unions in Kazipur upazila are directly linked with the upazila and district headquarters. But, rest six isolated unions are divided by the Jamuna river. As a result, people of those remote unions are deprived of government services due to lack of communication facilities.
Service seekers are forced to cross the Jamuna river with boats or other water transports that often poses risk. Most of the people face suffering to attend at the courts or any other emergency works in the town due to poor transportation facilities. Traveling by boats or other water transports takes extra costs and times, and even causes risk of accidents like boat sinking, robbery, snatching and dacoity.
Besides, farmers can’t take their produced goods to markets for sale with fair prices as well as relatives can’t take their patients to hospitals while emergency. Students face trouble to get admitted in the good educational institutes due to long distance and poor communication. Two out of 14 colleges are located in the shoals, while rests are located in the urban areas of the upazila. Therefore, Char children face complications to take higher education that leads dropout and trend of child marriage. Besides, the Char people are always deprived of banking facilities that hits rural economy, they said.
The demonstrators also said, if the government forms ‘Jamuna upazila’, it will alleviate the sufferings of shoals’ people.
Former public representative Abdul Quader, poet Altaf Hossain, Sirajganj Polytechnic City Director Zahurul Islam Liton, former Assistant General Manager of Agrani Bank Faridul Haque, Engineer Faridul Islam and Engineer Md. Sumon Mia among others were also present in the event.
Saidur Rahman Bachchu, General Secretary of Sirajganj district BNP also expressed solidarity with the demand on behalf of the party and took part in the agitations.