Workers of a garment factory blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Cumilla's Chandina on Tuesday morning, demanding unpaid wages and Eid-ul-Fitr bonuses. Hundreds of workers from 'Denim Processing Plant Limited,' located in the Belashahar area, began the protest around 8:00 AM by taking positions in the Harikhola Mazar area. The blockade created a massive traffic jam stretching at least 15 kilometers on both sides of the highway, bringing vehicular movement to a complete standstill from Kutumbapur to Nuritola. This caused immense suffering for passengers, drivers, and commuters traveling for urgent needs.The protesting workers alleged that their wages have remained unpaid for the past two months, with some owed over 30,000 to 40,000 BDT. With Eid approaching, they claimed they were forced to take to the streets as the management had failed to take any effective steps to clear the arrears. On the other hand, affected passengers and drivers claimed that workers of this particular factory block the highway every year before Eid, holding the general public hostage and causing significant public distress. Due to the two-hour blockade this morning, patients and court-bound individuals were unable to reach their destinations on time.Upon receiving the news, Chandina Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ashraful Islam, along with local highway and precinct police, arrived at the scene and held discussions with the factory management. Following administrative intervention, the management promised to pay January’s wages by this Thursday and February’s wages along with the Eid bonus by March 16. Following this assurance, the workers vacated the highway at 9:50 AM. Although traffic resumed after nearly two and a half hours, the pace of vehicles remains slow due to the long tailback. Meanwhile, Jahangir Alam, the CEO of the factory, claimed that a certain group had instigated the workers to create this situation.