Md Joynal Abedin Khan :
A day after a ban was imposed on rickshaw on three major roads in city, hundreds of rickshaw-pullers and owners took positions for nearly five hours at several points from the capital’s Kuril to Sayedabad on Monday .
The protesters were chanting slogans demanding withdrawal of rickshaw ban by the authorities.
They blockaded at Maniknagar, Mugda, Gulabbagh and Sayedabad points around 8:30am, halting traffic movements in the area, our staff correspondent reports quoting Anwar Hossain, Deputy Commissioner (Motijheel Division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)
Around 10,000 protesters ended their demonstration around 1:15pm after getting assurance to meet their demand, he said.
The blockade triggered severe traffic jam in the neighbourhoods, causing immense suffering to city commuters. Even many commuters were left stranded for transport at different bus stands on the street, he added.
Harunur Rashid, President of Bangladesh Rickshaw and Van Owners’ Association, told The New Nation on Monday that they would continue their movement peacefully until meet their demand.
They staged demonstration against the government move as it came as a big blow to their livelihoods, the rickshaw owners’ leader said.
He said they would form a human chain from Kuril to Sayedabad from 9:00am on Tuesday.
A class XI student of Sabujbagh Government College in the city’s Basabo Tamanna-e-Janant, who would travel on rickshaws, was waiting at Manikbagar for an hour and filed to manage a rickshaw.
Mizanur Rahman, a resident of Khilgaon who works at a private organisation, asked, “How will women, children and the elderly travel now? It wasn’t right to take such a thoughtless decision before increasing the number of buses. And what will the poor rickshaw-pullers live off?”
“This is a one-sided decision by the authorities without any consideration about the livelihood of the pullers who have been plying their vehicles on the route for a long time,” said a protesting rickshaw-puller, Saidur Rahman.
Another rickshaw-puller Md Tutul said that they cannot accept the ban. “If necessary, the authorities can make a third lane only for rickshaws,” he said.
Alauddin Azad, Patrol Inspector of Mugda Police Station, said that the law enforcers remained alert during the demonstration to avoid any untoward situation.
Transports plying on Mugda-Maniknagar-Biswa Road came to a halt due to the demonstration, causing immense suffering to commuters, said Mugda Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Proloy Kumar.
On July 3 Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), in a meeting chaired by Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sayeed Khokon, decided to remove rickshaw, van, human hauler and other illegal vehicles from main roads of Dhaka city, vowing to bring back discipline in traffic. The ban came into effect from Sunday for three roads—the roads are Kuril to Sayedabad via Rampura and Khilgaon, Gabtoli to Azimpur via Asad Gate and Science Laboratory intersection to Shahbagh intersection.
