Reza Mahmud :
Unauthorised rickshaws flood Dhaka city, while most of the rickshaw pullers have no knowledge about the traffic laws and have no driving licenses.
Consequently gridlock and accidents occur off and on, taking away work hours of people. But the two city corporations ignore all this burning issues.
“We frequently work to stop plying of the unauthorised rickshaws in the streets. It is the continuous process to keep the streets gridlock-free,” said Khan Mohmmad Billal, Chief Executive Officer of Dhaka South City Corporations.
He said, there are around 80 thousand rickshaws out of eight lakh having licenses issued by City Corporations.
When contacted, Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, the Assistant Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (traffic) told The New Nation that the law enforcers were helping city corporations to identify and withdraw illegal rickshaws from the streets. The traffic police hardly let unauthorised vehicles to escape traffic laws, he added.
Sources said, there are more than 8,00,000 rickshaws in the capital city. Most of them hold fake licenses as the City
Corporation stopped issuing rickshaw licenses from the year 1985. Experts said, every year around 30 thousand new rickshaws arrive in the city. But the new rickshaw pullers have neither permits nor driving licenses. Most of them have no knowledge about the fare chart of different routes. Even they do not know the streets and names of the areas. If the passenger does not know the way of his destination, then the unknown rickshaw pullers will cause huge suffering for the passengers and gridlock in the city.
They said, hundreds of unemployed men are coming to Dhaka from different districts to earn money. Most of them choose rickshaw pulling. Recent flood sent many people to Dhaka as they lost homes and crops in the rivers and have no work to do. Some rickshaw drivers are coming to Dhaka to earn extra money ahead of Eid ul Azha.
Experts also said. the rickshaw pullers have own families to bear. The roadside mechanics and food vendors also depend on the rickshaw pullers.
The city dwellers said, rickshaws have become a part of urban life in Bangladesh. No one could deny the necessity of rickshaw in the capital city.
The transports experts also said, the city corporations should give permits to certain numbers of rickshaws. Then the revenue incomes of city corporations would be increased. On the other hand the rickshaw pullers will also become well trained and reliable which would decrease the gridlocks and accidents in the city.
Most of the rickshaws have been seen in Dhaka South City Corporation areas like Gulistan, Motijheel, Malibagh, Rajarbagh, Shantinagar, Mouchak, Lalbagh, Chawk Bazar, Chankharpool, Mitford Road, Sayedabad, Bashabo, Jatrabari and Khilgaon.
In DNCC area lots of rickshaws have been seen in New Market, Science Lab intersection, Dhanmondi, Nilkhet, Hatirpool, Kalabagan, Khilkhet, Badda, Rampura, Mohakhali and Gulshan areas. Specially Dhanmondi road 1, was seen full of rickshaws. The other vehicles get no space because of the rickshaw made gridlock.
Unauthorised rickshaws flood Dhaka city, while most of the rickshaw pullers have no knowledge about the traffic laws and have no driving licenses.
Consequently gridlock and accidents occur off and on, taking away work hours of people. But the two city corporations ignore all this burning issues.
“We frequently work to stop plying of the unauthorised rickshaws in the streets. It is the continuous process to keep the streets gridlock-free,” said Khan Mohmmad Billal, Chief Executive Officer of Dhaka South City Corporations.
He said, there are around 80 thousand rickshaws out of eight lakh having licenses issued by City Corporations.
When contacted, Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, the Assistant Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (traffic) told The New Nation that the law enforcers were helping city corporations to identify and withdraw illegal rickshaws from the streets. The traffic police hardly let unauthorised vehicles to escape traffic laws, he added.
Sources said, there are more than 8,00,000 rickshaws in the capital city. Most of them hold fake licenses as the City
Corporation stopped issuing rickshaw licenses from the year 1985. Experts said, every year around 30 thousand new rickshaws arrive in the city. But the new rickshaw pullers have neither permits nor driving licenses. Most of them have no knowledge about the fare chart of different routes. Even they do not know the streets and names of the areas. If the passenger does not know the way of his destination, then the unknown rickshaw pullers will cause huge suffering for the passengers and gridlock in the city.
They said, hundreds of unemployed men are coming to Dhaka from different districts to earn money. Most of them choose rickshaw pulling. Recent flood sent many people to Dhaka as they lost homes and crops in the rivers and have no work to do. Some rickshaw drivers are coming to Dhaka to earn extra money ahead of Eid ul Azha.
Experts also said. the rickshaw pullers have own families to bear. The roadside mechanics and food vendors also depend on the rickshaw pullers.
The city dwellers said, rickshaws have become a part of urban life in Bangladesh. No one could deny the necessity of rickshaw in the capital city.
The transports experts also said, the city corporations should give permits to certain numbers of rickshaws. Then the revenue incomes of city corporations would be increased. On the other hand the rickshaw pullers will also become well trained and reliable which would decrease the gridlocks and accidents in the city.
Most of the rickshaws have been seen in Dhaka South City Corporation areas like Gulistan, Motijheel, Malibagh, Rajarbagh, Shantinagar, Mouchak, Lalbagh, Chawk Bazar, Chankharpool, Mitford Road, Sayedabad, Bashabo, Jatrabari and Khilgaon.
In DNCC area lots of rickshaws have been seen in New Market, Science Lab intersection, Dhanmondi, Nilkhet, Hatirpool, Kalabagan, Khilkhet, Badda, Rampura, Mohakhali and Gulshan areas. Specially Dhanmondi road 1, was seen full of rickshaws. The other vehicles get no space because of the rickshaw made gridlock.
