Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed that battery-run auto-rickshaws and easy bikes be allowed to operate in Dhaka city, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said on Monday (May 20).
The direction comes after the drivers of battery-run auto-rickshaws and easy bikes took to the street for the second consecutive day protesting the ban on their vehicles.
"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked for allowing the movement of battery-run auto-rickshaws during a Cabinet meeting on Monday,” said Quader while addressing a discussion organised to mark the founding anniversary of the Olama League at the Awami League’s central office on Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka this afternoon.
However, the movement of battery-run auto-rickshaws will be banned on 22 highways, said the road transport and bridges minister.
The auto-rickshaw and easy bike drivers blocked roads in the Staff Quarters, Mohammadpur Beribadh, Khilgaon, and Agargaon Taltola areas, causing significant inconvenience to commuters.
In Demra, a clash erupted between the police and drivers when the latter blocked the road in the Staff Quarters area around 11:15 am. Police used batons and fired shotgun rounds to disperse the crowd, according to Jahirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Demra Police Station. Protestors retaliated by throwing bricks at the law enforcers, creating panic in the area, as reported by police and locals.
In Rampura, over 100 drivers blocked the road near Better Life Hospital at around 9:30 am, causing a severe traffic jam. Mashiur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Rampura Police Station, said that traffic movement resumed after the drivers left the road around 10:30 am.
In Agargaon, a group of drivers formed a human chain beside the road, urging the government to allow their vehicles to operate until alternative employment could be arranged. When the protesters attempted to position themselves beside the road, police chased and dispersed them. Some drivers responded by throwing bricks at the police. Police detained at least seven drivers from the scene, according to our staff photographer on site.
Yesterday, traffic in Mirpur was severely disrupted as drivers of battery-run rickshaws demonstrated, clashed with police, and vandalised vehicles.
