Protest over ban: Electric rickshaw drivers stop traffic, trains in city

Hundreds of battery-run rickshaw drivers yesterday blocked roads and rail lines in Dhaka, including at Mohakhali, Agargaon and Mirpur-10, bringing traffic to a halt for more than five hours.

Rail communication between Dhaka and most of the country was suspended for around six hours from 9:45am after a group of drivers blocked the Mohakhali level crossing.

All trains to and from Dhaka were delayed due to the disruption, said Khairul Kabir, divisional transport officer (Dhaka Division) of Bangladesh Railway.

The gridlock that was caused on city streets left many commuters and travellers helpless.

Earlier on Tuesday, the High Court directed the government to take necessary steps to stop the plying of battery-run rickshaws in Dhaka within three days. The following day, drivers took to the streets in protest at the decision.

Yesterday, over a hundred drivers took to the airport road in Mohakhali around 9:30am. The demonstration caused severe traffic jams on both sides of the road, said Rasel Sarwar, officer-in-charge of Banani Police Station.

Other groups of drivers blocked roads in Agargaon, Mirpur-10 and Rampura areas.

Members of the army dispersed the rickshaw drivers in Mirpur-10 and Agargaon around 2:00pm. Two protesters were detained at Mirpur-10.

The police and the army personnel removed the protesting drivers from Mohakhali area around 2:30pm.

Battery-run rickshaw drivers blocked several streets in Dhaka and police drove them away, said Talibur Rahman, DC media of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

Traffic in Mohakhali began to move again around 2:30pm, witnesses said.

Inspector (investigation) Md Abu Hanif at Kafrul Police Station said there were several incidents of vandalism during the demonstrations but no case was filed as of 10:00pm. 

Sajib, one of the protesters, said, "I am the sole breadwinner for my family. The decision is a blow to my livelihood. What am I supposed to do? How will I provide for my family?"

Explaining why they are demonstrating, Faruk Hossain, 45, a battery-run rickshaw driver said his seven-member family depends on his income and it will put them under serious hardship if the government bans battery-run rickshaws.

He said they just want to be able to use their battery-run rickshaws in Dhaka city to earn a living. It's the government who should tell them on which streets they can drive, he said.

Humayun Kabir, a driver who is from Raipur of Lakhmipur, said his four-member family moved to Dhaka a few years ago as there was a scarcity of work in their village.

"I have been running my own battery-powered rickshaw for the last two months after taking out a loan of around Tk 80,000 to buy the rickshaw. I cannot do other work as my left leg got broken in an accident last year."

He said he has to pay Tk 2,200 every week as instalment for the loan and it will take him another 10 months to pay off the loan.

Meanwhile, supreme court lawyer Md Bahauddin Al Imran yesterday sent a legal notice to the authorities concerned, asking them to take necessary steps in three days to stop the plying of battery-run rickshaws on highways and flyovers across the country.

If they do not take steps, a writ petition will be moved before the HC, seeking necessary directives, he said in the legal notice.

On Tuesday evening, Afsana Karim Rachi, a student of the 53rd batch (2023-24 session) of the Department of Marketing at Jahangirnagar University, died after being hit by a battery-run rickshaw on the campus.

According to witnesses, the victim was crossing the road in front of the New Arts Building when a battery-run rickshaw struck her at speed and pinned her to a tree.

Earlier on May 15, former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader asked the authorities concerned to take steps to ban battery-run rickshaws on Dhaka streets.

Battery-run rickshaw drivers on May 18 took to the streets and clashed with police that left at least 20 injured.

Then on May 19, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina instructed the scrapping of the decision to ban battery-run rickshaws on Dhaka streets.