Second day of Sajek road blockade hits Khagrachhari tourism trade, drivers and traders fear for livelihoods

The road blockade at Sajek in Rangamati has spilled over onto tourism-related people in Khagrachhari. As the blockade continued for a second day on Friday, the halt in tourist arrivals has left drivers, counter staff and small traders deeply worried about their livelihoods.

The road blockade called by the Sajek Karbari Association and the Sajek Gana Adhikar Rakkha Committee continued for a second day on Friday (23 October). With Sajek-bound traffic stopped because of the blockade, the direct impact has fallen on the Khagrachhari-centred tourism trade.

Those who take tourists to Sajek and those who run tourist-dependent businesses said they are in trouble because tourists are not coming due to the blockade at Sajek. Such closures during the tourist season are hitting their income directly.

Pickup drivers Md Saiful Islam and Md Hridoy said they drive tourists to Sajek. Their livelihoods depend on those trips.

The drivers fear that if blockades continue at Sajek every few days, it will become difficult for them to support their families. If the uncertainty lengthens, simply running their households will become a burden, they believe.

The drivers demanded a quick solution to the problem. In their view, whoever takes the blockade decision, the price is being paid by people who live on daily earnings.

Small trader Md Ismail Hossain, who runs a business beside the Sajek counter, said the same. He said their entire business is tourist-dependent.

In Ismail Hossain's words, if tourists do not come, they have no sales at all. If Sajek keeps closing frequently in this way, it will be hard to get by with their families. He too wants a quick solution to the problem.

Sajek counter manager Saikat Chakma said some tourists had arrived on Friday from Dhaka and various districts of the country. In other words, interest in travelling remained, but their journeys were blocked by the blockade.

Saikat Chakma said no vehicle left for Sajek carrying the arriving tourists because of the blockade. As a result, tourists had to turn back even after reaching the counter, and transport workers lost the day's income.

The tourism workers' remarks suggest this hardship is not new — the repetition of blockades every few days is their biggest concern. More than one day's loss, the pattern of repeated closures is making the future of the trade uncertain.

All eyes are now on the next decision on the blockade. Those concerned fear that if a quick solution does not come, the hardship of Khagrachhari's tourism-dependent drivers and traders could grow longer.