Battery-powered rickshaw drivers have staged protests in front of the National Press Club, to press home their 11-point demand including the withdrawal of the High Court order banning their vehicles from operating in Dhaka.

The demonstration has disrupted traffic flow between Paltan, the Press Club, and High Court areas, leaving commuters stranded on buses and causing significant public inconvenience.

In addition to the National Press Club, protests have continued across other parts of the capital, including road blockades in Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, and Jatrabari. Severe traffic congestion has been reported in areas like Mirpur, Gabtoli, and Dhanmondi due to the demonstrations.

According to police, at around 10:30 am, battery-powered rickshaw drivers suddenly blocked the Beribandh intersection and Dhaka Udyan area in Mohammadpur, halting vehicular movement. Adequate police have been deployed to control the situation, he added.

The demands of the protesters include: Withdrawal of the High Court's order to ban battery-operated vehicles, granting BRTA licenses to battery-operated vehicles, modernizing the country's roads according to proper design standards, providing logical route permits for battery-operated vehicles, creating policies for the operation of battery-operated vehicles, forming a road management and planning committee with worker representatives, and the activation of lane systems and the construction of service lanes on roads.

The rickshaw drivers have announced that they will continue their protest until their demands are met.

The protests follow a High Court directive issued on November 19 by Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Mahmudur Raji, ordering a ban on battery-powered rickshaws within three days in the Dhaka Metropolitan area. 

The court also issued a rule questioning the lack of enforcement of prior restrictions.

BDST: 1337 HRS, NOV 24, 2024
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