The government has formed a six-member committee to address longstanding professional disputes among engineering professionals. In response, demonstrators have pledged to suspend their protest pending the committee's recommendations.

The decision was reached during a meeting held on Wednesday at the Secretariat, chaired by Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan.

The meeting, which commenced at 2:30pm, reviewed the ongoing professional rift between BSc engineers and diploma engineers. 

Discussions focused on assessing the legitimacy of each group’s demands and positions. Based on these deliberations, the committee resolved to set a timeframe for submitting recommendations aimed at resolving the conflict.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the adviser said that the committee’s objective is to identify a practical, effective, and broadly acceptable resolution to the engineering sector's professional discord. 

He confirmed that stakeholders have agreed to halt all protest activities until the committee concludes its work.

Earlier, on Tuesday students from polytechnic institutes staged blockades in Dhaka and several districts to press home their four-point demands, including the introduction of a single-track system in engineering education to eliminate discrimination in jobs.

The blockades on roads and rail tracks for several hours led to long tailbacks in the capital and other major cities and disrupted railway services, causing immense suffering to commuters and passengers.

Many were stranded on roads for hours, while others had to walk several kilometres to reach their destinations.

In the capital, students of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute blocked a road at Satrasta intersection in Tejgaon, triggering traffic congestions on adjacent roads.