Food and water shortages intensify amidst blockade; Tourism hit hard

Due to ongoing unrest in the hill tracts, an indefinite blockade on the Sajek road in Rangamati’s Baghaichhari Upazila has entered its eighth day. This has intensified the hardships faced by local residents, who are now grappling with shortages of essential items, including food, clean drinking water, and medicine. Meanwhile, the absence of tourists, a consequence of the blockade, has caused significant financial losses for businesses dependent on the tourism sector.

On the eighth day, protesters continued their peaceful blockade by burning tires and tree trunks at various points along the Sajek road. They have declared that the movement and the blockade will persist until their five-point list of demands is met.

The prolonged blockade has severely disrupted daily life in Sajek. With vehicular movement put on indefinite hold, the supply of essential food items, clean water, and medicine from outside the area has been cut off, leaving local residents in a state of extreme distress.

Simultaneously, tourism-dependent enterprises, such as hotels, resorts, restaurants, and transport services, are suffering financial losses due to the lack of tourist arrivals. According to estimates, the tourism sector in Sajek has incurred losses of approximately Tk. 600 to 700 million (Tk. 60–70 crore) over the past eight days.

Stakeholders fear that if the blockade continues, the suffering of local residents will only worsen, and the economic damage to Sajek, which relies heavily on tourism, will escalate further.

-    IE/NS