Rickshawpullers however attributed the rise to the unabated price hike of essential commodities.

"You have to consider how the prices of food is increasing every day. We do not have any other cost involved in our life other than food. If we don't take it from you where would we get it from," said rickshawpuller Mohammad Ali who came from Sherpur.

Some of the rickshawpullers said the daily deposit of rickshaws has increased since there is a shortage of rickshaw in the city due to seizure of a large number of rickshaws during the past few years and making many roads off-limits to rickshaws.

Rahmatullah, another rickshawpuller from Tejgaon said, "Our daily deposit has increased. Owners are now charging Tk 40 for half day. For a new rickshaw the charge is Tk 50 and we have to bear all the necessary repairing costs during our shift. So we have to increase the fare to survive in this difficult situation."

Kader Mollah, a rickshawpuller from Rupnagar said, "During the half-day shift I earn around Tk 300. Since there is a shortage of rickshaw I don't get one to pull every day. In this situation it is hard for us to pay the house rent, which is Tk 1000-1200 in my slum."

Zakir Hossain, a resident of Shershah Shuri Road, Mohammadpur said, "Rickshaw fare has increased dramatically during the last few months. Earlier I used to spend around Tk 6 to7 to take my son to school at Asad Avenue. Now the fare is Tk 10. My wife goes to pick him up after school so you can guess the additional daily expense."

"If I go to New Market from Bangshal in a CNG autorickshaw it would cost around Tk 40. Rickshawpullers nowadays ask for the same amount," said Nahid Tabassum, a resident of Bangshal.

Sabbir Hossain, a resident of Mirpur-6 said, "In the residential areas we do not have any other option but rickshaw. We must use them to go to the nearest kitchen market or bus stand. Many roads and parts of the city are off-limits to rickshaws. Rickshawpullers are taking advantage of this and charging higher fare."

According to the wheel tax section of Dhaka City Corporation, the number of authorised rickshaws in the city is 79,000. But there are a large number of unauthorised rickshaws. According to police sources, the estimated number of rickshaws is about four lakh. Over a million people are directly and indirectly involved in the rickshaw sector.

Dhaka city experiences a population growth of about 5 percent every year with thousands of job seekers migrating from all around Bangladesh. The rickshaw sector employs a huge number of destitute migrant people from villages every year.