Agitated miners of Barapukuria Coal Mine Company block Phulbaria-Parbatipur rail line with trees Thursday night. The photo was taken yesterday around 11:00am. Photo: Star

Local miners of Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Ltd (BCMCL) had blocked the rail and road communication after the mediation meeting with two state ministers ended without any outcome Thursday night.
As the talks ended inconclusively around 9:30pm, the miners, who work under Chinese contractor company CMC-XMC Consortium of BCMCL, brought out a procession in BCMCL area. Most of them were carrying sticks.
They blocked the rail line and Barapukuria-Madhyapara link road felling hundreds of trees.
Nurul Islam, station master of Phulbari Rail Station, told The Daily Star that rail communication with Khulna, Dhaka, Rajshahi and other northern and southern districts remained suspended since Thursday night.
The officials and staff of BCMCL and CMC-XMC remained confined to the company complex for the fourth day of the miners' strike yesterday.
The miners went for the strike Monday midnight demanding pay hike according to a 2008 agreement signed by BCMCL, CMC-XMC and Bangladeshi miners.
The officials and staff withdrew their black-badge programme Thursday night on request of the two state ministers -- Mostafizur Rahman for land and Enamul Haque for mineral resources.
Processions and meetings were held amid chanting of slogans by the agitating miners. They yesterday burnt tyres and straws at different points including the gate of BCMCL residential area.
They brought out a procession holding an effigy of Mostafizur Rahman, also the lawmaker from Dinajpur-5 (Phulbari-Parbatipur) constituency, and burnt it down near the coalmine gate.
The workers of Barapukuria 250MW power plant and Madhyapara Granite Mining Company Ltd expressed solidarity with the BCMCL miners.
Contacted, Dinajpur Deputy Commissioner Abdul Jalil told The Daily Star that police administration has taken an initiative for another meeting between the miners and BCMCL and CMC-XMC.
He added road and rail communication would be restored by deploying additional police force.
Meanwhile, the miners allowed food supply for the confined BCMCL staff.
Earlier, Mr Hao, a CMC-XMC staff, was wounded while working underground Thursday night. He was taken to a hospital in Rangpur yesterday, said BCMCL sources.
Our Gaibandha correspondent reports, all Dhaka-Dinajpur bound mail and intercity trains have been diverted to Kaunia-Gaibandha-Santahar route from yesterday as the BCMCL miners imposed blockade on Parbatipur-Santahar section.
Railway sources said, 706 Ekota Intercity express, 757 up Drutajan express and 758 down Drutajan express are now plying the Kaunia-Gaibandha-Santahar route.
Due to snapping of Parbatipur-Santahar section, long-route trains from Dinajpur to capital Dhaka are to cover additional 40 kilometres in detour.