Several thousand battery-run rickshaw drivers on Sunday blocked several roads in the capital city pressing for their 12-point charter of demands that included allowing them to ply city roads scrapping the High Court order.
People suffered immensely on the day as rickshaw drivers blocked roads and marched in processions towards the National Press Club from different city areas to take part in their pre-scheduled mass sit-in programme there.
The drivers blocked the roads in front of the National Press Club, Jatrabari and Mohammadpur areas for the fifth consecutive days since November 20, a day after the High Court directed the authorities concerned not to allow battery-run rickshaws on Dhaka city streets.
In Jatrabari area on Sunday, a clash broke out reportedly between students and rickshaw drivers at Jatrabari Chowrasta at about 11:30am, according to police and witnesses.
The two groups were seen beating one another with sticks and bamboos during the clash, they said.
Jatrabari police station officer-in-charge Faruk Ahmed, however, claimed that two groups of rickshaw drivers locked in the clash and none was injured in the incident.
He said that the rickshaw pullers staged demonstration in the Jatrabari area for about three hours from 9:00am.
In front of the National Press Club, several thousand battery-run rickshaw drivers under the banner of the Rickshaw Van Easy-bike Sramik Union blocked both sides of the road for about two hours from 11:30am.
The vehicular movement was completely halted as rickshaw drivers occupied the streets and did not allow any vehicles to use roads except ambulances.
The leaders of the drivers鈥� union urged the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority to issue driving licences and logical road permit.
鈥榃e don鈥檛 want to ride on main roads in Dhaka city. We want to ply local roads and alleys. The authorities should understand that rickshaws go on main roads only to cross the roads,鈥� said the union joint general secretary Ariful Islam Nadim.
He thanked the government for appealing against the High Court鈥檚 order and would wait for the result of the hearing re-scheduled for Tuesday.
鈥榃e will also hold a meeting with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner on Monday about how the battery-run rickshaws can ply city roads,鈥� said Nadim, asking the rickshaw pullers to maintain lane, give side to high speed vehicles and not to park on streets.
He also urged the government to redesign the battery-run rickshaws taking the country鈥檚 road condition into account.
Expressing solidarity with the driver, Communist Party of Bangladesh鈥檚 former president Mujahidul Islam Selim said, 鈥榊ou [the chief adviser] have seen the movement of students but not the workers鈥�..I want to tell Yunus Saheb that he will not be able to stay in power if the workers movement take place.鈥�
Selim said that 90 per cent people of the country belonged to poor and middle class while only 10 per cent were rich.
Following the mass sit-in and rally, the protesters brought out a procession from National Press Club to Central Shaheed Minar.
At the Central Shaheed Minar, Ariful Islam Nadim said that if the interim government did not accept their demands, they would hold a mass rally on February 2 at the Central Shaheed Minar.聽聽聽
Meanwhile, the protesters also blocked road at Mohammadpur Beribadh crossing and Chad Udyan areas.
According to union leaders, there about 60 lakh battery-run rickshaws ply roads across the country. If the vehicle is banned, many people would remain starved and involve in criminal activities for food.
Home adviser retired lieutenant general Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, after holding the 4th advisory council meeting on law and order, said that banning the rickshaw was now a jurisdiction of the High Court.
鈥榃e are implementing the High Court鈥檚 directives. Law ministry is scheduled to get a directive from the High Court. We will take necessary actions after getting the directives,鈥� he said responding to a question while briefing reporters at the secretariat.
DMP spokesperson Muhammad Talebur Rahman said that a meeting between battery-run rickshaw drivers and the DMP commissioner would be held at about 11:00am today.