Mobile phone traders blocked the Pragati Sharani in Kuril protesting the upcoming roll-out of National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR), which would block the use and sale of new stolen and unauthorised handsets.
The traders blocked the Pragati Sharani in front of the Jamuna Future Park and also indefinitely shut down their stores in the shopping complex, confirmed Bhatara Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mostafizur Rahman.
Huge traffic jams were created on both sides of the road, with one tailback extending to Banani on the Airport Road.
The protesters demanded the withdrawal of the 67% tax on imports of unauthorised devices, and reforms in the NEIR system before it is officially launched on 16 December.
They threatened to stage stricter demonstrations if their demands are not met on time.
The NEIR system identifies and blocks stolen or unauthorised mobile devices using International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers, which are a unique 15-digit code assigned to each mobile device.
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