Battery-run rickshaw drivers block road in Dhaka’s Dayaganj to protest ban

Over 100 battery-run rickshaw drivers have taken to the streets in the capital’s Dayaganj to protest the High Court decision banning the vehicles from the Dhaka Metropolitan Area.

The drivers had gathered for nearly three hours on Wednesday before they attempted to block the road. Police then obstructed them, reports bdnews24.com.

Around 12:30pm, the drivers left the road and the traffic in the area has since returned to normal according to Kapil Dev Gyne, assistant commissioner of the Traffic Wari Zone of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

“The rickshaw drivers began gathering in the Dayaganj area around 9am,” he said. “Around 11:30am, they blocked the road, causing heavy traffic congestion.”

“When they were instructed to clear the road, they attacked the police. Several people, including a traffic police sergeant, were injured. The injured sergeant is currently receiving treatment at the Rajarbag Central Hospital.”

On Tuesday, the High Court ordered a ban on battery-run rickshaws in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area within three days.

The bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi made the decision based on a writ petition by the Pedal-run Rickshaw Association.

The home secretary, local government secretary, police chief, DMP commissioner, and the authorities of the two Dhaka city corporations were instructed to implement the decision.

The court also issued a rule asking why the authorities’ negligence in stopping the use of battery-run rickshaws should not be declared illegal.

“There are no licences for battery-run rickshaws, so they are completely illegal,” the court said.

The rickshaw drivers took to the streets in Dayaganj the following day to demand the ban be withdrawn.

Khalekuzzaman Lipon, convener for the Rickshaw, Battery Rickshaw-Van, and Easybike Sangram Parishad, also issued a statement calling for the decision to be withdrawn.

He also urged the court not to destroy the livelihoods of workers and not to make an enemy of them.

“As public transport coverage is not comprehensive in Dhaka city, the only means of transport for people in some areas aside from the main roads are rickshaws, battery rickshaws and easybikes,” the statement said. “Battery-powered rickshaws and easybikes are economical, comfortable, and environmentally friendly, and the driver has to pedal less, so the demand for this form of transport has increased significantly.”

Though battery-powered rickshaws and easybikes are blamed for accidents, he questioned whether there was any credible data on the matter.

“There are currently about 700,000-800,000 battery-powered rickshaws and easybikes in the Dhaka Metropolitan Area. If these vehicles are banned, 1.5 million people will be rendered unemployed in one go. Amid high inflation in the market, the lives and livelihoods of drivers and the hundreds of thousands of people who depend on them will be put at risk.”