Drive on against illegal rickshaws

Unlicensed rickshaws seized in an ongoing drive have been stacked up in New Market area in the capital yesterday. PHOTO: STAR

A total of 334 unauthorised rickshaws were seized in the last two days in a drive that started after ending of the T}esday's deadline set by the traffic department of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on October 6 for withdrawing illegal non-motorised vehicles from the city streets.

On the first day of the drive, 150 rickshaws were seized while yesterday, on the second day, 184 unauthorised rickshaws were withdrawn from city streets, according to DMP traffic division sources. The rickshaws were seized from the New Market, [cience Laboratory, Kakrail, Mouchak, Phulbaria, Shyamoli, Darus Salam of Mirpur and Abdullahpur of Tongi areas, sources said.

The traffic department in a notice on October 6 ordered all owners of rickshaws without any valid papers to withdraw their non-motorised vehicles from the city streets within October 12.

After the deadline was over, the traffic division of DMP in collaboration with Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) appointed eight teams, each led by a traffic sergeant, in the city streets to seize illegal rickshaws from October 13.

The traffic division of DMP has taken the step, as it did last year, to keep the city's traffic jam situation in control and reduce suffering of people especially during the upcoming Ramadan, as they consider the non-motorised vehicles responsible for major traffic congestion.

The number of unauthorised rickshaws using fake numberplates of the DCC is notably increasing in the city causing traffic congestion, according to DMP officials.

It is estimated that about three lakh rickshaws ply the capital using fake numberplates and DCC documents while at least 50,000 more illegal rickshaws hit the city streets every year, according to sources.

There are, however, about 80,000 registered rickshaws in the capital, according to Wheel Tax Department of the DCC.

Meanwhile, Rickshaw Van Sangram Parishad convenor Shukur Ahmed said they will observe a dawn-to-dusk strike tomorrow (October 16) protesting the seizing of illegal rickshaws without providing alternative employment which, they said, the government cannot do.

He also demanded declaring of the renewal date of rickshaw licence by the DCC.