Crackdown on easy bikes, battery-run rickshaws from Oct 1

Barishal Metropolitan Police (BMP) is going to crackdown on battery-run auto-rickshaws and battery-run rickshaws on the city’s five roads from October 1.

BMP took the decision last week, said Khairul Alom, deputy commissioner (traffic) of BMP, adding that they already started announcing the directive yesterday.

“Such drives are needed for ensuring road safety,” he said.

The roads to be off-limits are Zila school-Jailkhana intersection, Kolir intersection-Settlement intersection, Girjamahalla road, Vatarkhal-DC office crossing, and City Corporation-Chawker pole crossing.

They will bring all city streets under the drives in phases, said the police official.

Sources at the traffic department of Barishal City Corporation said 2,610 battery-run auto-rickshaws, commonly known as easy bike, have been plying since 2011.

But they could not say the number of battery-run rickshaws.

However, BMP’s traffic department said at least 3,000 battery-run rickshaws and 6,000 easy bikes are plying the city streets.

Md Sajahan Mia, president of a committee working in favour of battery-run rickshaws and easy bikes, said at least 10,000 families depend on those vehicles. If those are stopped, the people will suffer, he added.