Will take legal action if battery-run rickshaws found in Dhaka South: Taposh

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh today termed all converted non-motorised vehicles using batteries illegal, and announced legal action against them from today.

He also spoke of a process to set rickshaw fare based on distance.

"We will take legal action, from today, against rickshaw and rickshaw-vans using batteries, if we find those in DSCC areas," said the mayor while inaugurating the registration renewal process of rickshaws, rickshaw-vans, pushcarts and horse carts at Nagar Bhaban.

He said Dhaka is lovingly called "City of rickshaw", as it is part of our urban heritage.

"We will bring non-motorised, slow-moving vehicles like rickshaws under new registration and renewal process -- with a view to bring those under discipline," he said.

"We will not allow any non-motorised vehicle, except registered ones, in DSCC areas," the mayor said.

He said a study is being conducted, following which they will be able to determine the roads that will be used for non-motorised vehicles and those to be used for motorised ones.

Taposh said this is his first move to make Dhaka a "movable city", which was one of his election pledges.

Responding to a question about new registration of rickshaws which may negatively impact city roads, the DSCC mayor said over last three decades no registration of rickshaws were done, and rickshaws are plying city roads illegally.

"When we allow registration, it means we are bringing the non-motorised vehicles under discipline," he said.

Meanwhile DSCC has already published a public notice asking interested people to take application forms from Nagar Bhaban or its zonal offices for changing ownership, renewal or registration of new non-motorised vehicles.

Interested persons will have to pay Tk 100 for an application form and will have to submit it to the DSCC authorities.

DSCC will provide registration or renewal after scrutinising those properly and will take a certain fee.

The registration which started on September 13 will continue till September 27.

DSCC currently has 52,712 non-motorised registered vehicles, mostly rickshaws, though many more are running illegally.