BANGLADESH NEWS
The dawn-to-dusk hartal demanding upgradation of Rangpur municipality to a city corporation passed off peacefully in Rangpur on Sunday.
All types of vehicular movement on the city roads remain suspended since morning due to the hartal that coincided with incessant rain.
Even rickshaws stay off the roads as the inhabitants of the district have been observing the hartal spontaneously.
Business establishments, shopping malls, educational institutions and private offices remain closed. Though government offices are open, the presence of officials and employees are thin.
Jatiya Party (Ershad) backed Rangpur City Corporation Bastabayon Committee called the hartal on May 15 as its demand was not met by the deadline.
The organisation on Saturday brought out a procession in the town and then held a rally in Shapla Chattar area.
On the other hand, Rangpur City Corporation Bastabayon Sangram Parishad on Saturday blocked Rangpur-Dhaka highway and rail route in the town for an hour from 11:30am to put pressure on the government to declare Rangpur town a city corporation through a gazette notification.
Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad at a rally here on April 8 urged the government to upgrade Rangpur municipality to a city corporation by May 15. Otherwise, he threatened to launch a tougher agitation programme in the district.
Former lawmaker Moshiur Rahman Ranga, also the convener of Rangpur City Corporation Bastabayon Committee, in his speech said they called for the hartal as the government did not meet the demand within the deadline.
He urged Rangpur people to make today's daylong hartal a success.
Different organisations in the district had earlier observed programmes to realise the demand for upgrading Rangpur municipality to a city corporation.
Earlier on May 12, local unit of the ruling Awami League under the banner of Rangpur Unnayon Samonnoy Parishad formed a human chain in front of Rangpur Press Club to press home the demand.
The Sangram Parishad led by former lawmaker Sarfuddin Ahmed Jhontu observed a token hunger strike in front of the press club on May 20.
The parishad also besieged Rangpur Pourasava office on May 24 to realise the demand.
Rangpur became the seventh division in the country in 2010. But the government is yet to declare it a city corporation.
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