Ctg Sampan boatmen stage sit-in strike to get back ghat lease, revenue
The boatmen claim that the CCC is violating the Patnijivi Policy-2003, which protects the rights of professional boatmen
More than 1,200 Sampan boatmen from the Karnaphuli River, under the Karnaphuli Sampan Majhi Welfare Federation, staged a sit-in strike across 10 ghats today demanding to get back ghats lease and the revenue collection right to their associations.
They protested the Chattogram City Corporation's (CCC) decision to assign revenue collection and ghats' lease to other organizations, rather than the boatmen associations.
The protesting boatmen have suspended the movement of engine-driven sampans at major ghats, including New Bridge Ghat, Totarbaper Ghat, BW Ghat, Dakshinpar Old Bridge Ghat, Sadar Ghat, Abhaymitra Ghat, Karnaphuli Ghat, Banglabazar Ghat, and Saltgola Ghat, reports to our correspondent.
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The boatmen claim that the CCC is violating the Patnijivi Policy-2003, which protects the rights of professional boatmen.
SM Payar Ali, president of the Ichanagar Sadarghat Sampan Owner Association, and Mohammad Abul Hossain, president of the Charpatharghata Bridgeghat Sampan Association, confirmed the protest and outlined the boatmen's grievances.
"Sampan sailors are being deprived of their traditional livelihoods. CCC is leasing the ghats to businessmen, disregarding long-standing Patnijivi rules. Despite multiple complaints, no action has been taken to resolve the issue," said Abul Hossain.
He emphasized that this neglect has forced the boatmen to take the drastic step of boycotting their duties.
The boatmen also pointed to a government directive issued on April 29, 2020, by the Local Government Department of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives, which stipulated that naval ghats should only be leased to professional boatmen associations.
Mohammad Lokman Dayal, president of the Isanagar Banglabazar Sampan Majhi Samiti, warned of the severe consequences of displacing the boatmen.
"If the ghats are taken away from the sampan sailors, hundreds of families will face extreme hardship. Many of these sailors have inherited this profession from their forefathers. Forcing them out will push them into inhumane conditions," he said, appealing to CCC to respect their centuries-old livelihood.
Despite repeated attempts, CCC's Chief Revenue Officer Mohammad Nazrul Islam was unavailable for comment.
The protesting boatmen have vowed to continue their strike until their demands are met, seeking recognition of their rights under the Patnijivi policy and the 2020 government directive.
