Battery-run rickshaw drivers block Dhaka roads again

Battery-operated rickshaw drivers have been staging demonstrations again by blocking various roads in the capital, demanding permission to operate on main roads.

They blocked roads at Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, Mirpur, Press Club, Jatrabari, Gabtoli, Gulistan, High Court, causing immense sufferings to city dwellers and commuters.

Around 10 am on Sunday (November 24), they started gathering at different points in the capital under the banner of Rickshaw-Van-Easy Bike Sramik Union to press home their 12-point demands, halting the vehicular movement on the streets.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Mohammadpur Police Station Ali Iftekhar Hasan said: “At around 10:30am, battery-run rickshaw drivers suddenly blocked the Beribandh intersection and Dhaka Udyan area in Mohammadpur, halting vehicular movement. Adequate police have been deployed to bring the situation under control.”

On November 19, the High Court bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Mahmudur Raji directed that battery-powered rickshaws be banned within three days in the Dhaka Metropolitan area.

The court also issued a rule asking why the lack of enforcement of this order should not be declared illegal.

Following the High Court’s directive, battery-powered rickshaw drivers have been protesting in various parts of the capital since then.