Workers and employees of the long-closed Ashuganj fertiliser factory in Brahmanbaria held a human chain and protest rally on Monday morning, demanding its modernisation and reopening. Organised by the AFCCL Workers-Employees Union near the toll plaza of Ashuganj Syed Nazrul Islam Bridge, the programme also called for restoring the plant’s former name, Ashuganj Zia Fertilizer Company Limited.

The factory has been fully shut since March 1 last year and has remained closed for about one and a half years, according to the protesters. Speakers said gas shortages have kept production suspended for much of the time since 2010. They alleged that a group has kept the plant closed in the name of gas rationing while engaging in fertiliser imports, causing severe mechanical and financial damage.

Local BNP, NCP and Jamaat-e-Islami activists, transport owners’ associations and CBA representatives from Ashuganj Thermal Power Station joined in solidarity. Speakers said the closure has harmed local employment and the economy, and urged the government to ensure normal gas supplies and restart the factory quickly. They warned of tougher action, including a highway blockade, and briefly demonstrated on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway after the event.