Garment exporters, transport owners, garment buying house and freight forwarding agencies made the call

That means the major road connecting the capital with Dhaka-Mawa and Dhaka-Chattogram highways will be completely cut off for over 2 days

Within a year of completion, overloaded lorries and high number of vehicles plying have created ruts on the expanded Dhaka-Chattogram highway.

A weigh station along Dhaka-Chittagong highway was vandalised and the highway blocked for hours allegedly by transport workers yesterday.

Traffic would not move an inch for hours on end. There was no food, no water, no toilet on the way. Relatives of the patients needing urgent medical attention did not know what to do.

RHD engineers and ministry officials who were involved with the project now squarely blame overloaded vehicles for the condition of the highway, known as the economic lifeline of Bangladesh. This highway is responsible for carrying 90 percent of the export and import volume.

Conversion work of two major highways into dual carriageways is in the final stage and it will boost trade and travel in a major way. Travel times will be cut drastically once the work of broadening the highways, Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Mymensingh, is finished this June. There have been delays stretching into years in the completion of the projects. Costs also went up considerably, but the works are expected to be completed by middle of this year.

Seven people including two children died as a bus rammed a CNG-run three-wheeler on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Chauddagram upazila of Comilla