Battery-run rickshaw drivers suspend demo, will meet DMP chief on Monday
The next plan of action will be announced depending on the meeting’s outcome, says Rickshaw, Battery Rickshaw-Van, and Easybike Sangram Parishad
The battery-run rickshaw drivers and workers, who have been demonstrating around Dhaka city for the past few days, will meet Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali tomorrow (25 November), in a bid to find a solution to the crisis that stemmed from a recent High Court order.
Rickshaw, Battery Rickshaw-Van, and Easybike Sangram Parishad announced the development in the afternoon today (24 November), after suspending the sit-in programme pressing 12 demands in front of the National Press Club.
The meeting between a group of representatives of the protesters and the DMP chief will begin at 11am tomorrow. Depending on its outcome, the next plan of action will be announced, the organisation's Convener Khalekuzzaman Lipan told reporters.
Earlier in the morning, hundreds of battery-run vehicle drivers and workers demonstrated at different locations around the city, demanding the withdrawal of last week's High Court order that sought steps to immediately remove the three-wheelers from the capital's streets due to safety concerns.
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The affected areas included the National Press Club, Jatrabari, Kajla, Mohammadpur, Beribadh Road, Dhaka Udyan, Basila, Shahbagh, Science Laboratory, Dhanmondi, Mirpur-1, Mirpur-2, and Agargaon.
Vehicular movement in these areas was severely disrupted, forcing commuters to walk or find alternative ways to go to their destinations.
Small groups of drivers and workers came in processions from different parts of the city and gathered in front of the National Press Club at around 11am for a rally, which was announced by the Rickshaw, Van and Easybike Sramik Union yesterday (23 November).
Organising the rally with the union, the Battery-run Rickshaw Malik-Sramik Samity erected a temporary stage in front of the club, where leaders addressed the programme with their demands in between cultural performances.
The rally heavily disrupted vehicular movement in Matsya Bhaban, Hare Road, and areas around the Press Club, said Mehedi Shakil, assistant commissioner (AC - traffic) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (DMP) Shahbagh zone.
However, the protesters left the Press Club area and gathered at Central Shaheed Minar at Dhaka University at around 1:30pm. They ended the programme there later in the afternoon following the decision to meet the DMP chief.
Armed with sticks, several hundred protesters had also blocked the busy Jatrabari intersection and stopped vehicular movement at around 10:45am.
"They demanded the withdrawal of the High Court order. To ease the congestion, traffic was diverted via the Mayor Mohammad Hanif Flyover," said AC of DMP's Jatrabari Traffic zone Akhtaruzzaman.
Locals claimed the agitated protesters attacked some other vehicles' drivers, passersby, and nearby establishments at the time.
However, the traffic situation started returning to normal in the Jatrabari intersection and Kajla areas at around 1:20pm after battery-run rickshaw drivers and workers left the streets, said Mostain Billah, AC (traffic) of DMP's Demra zone.
Before they left, at around 11:55am, a chase and counter-chase took place between two factions of demonstrators, he confirmed, adding, "Several vehicles were damaged by the agitated protesters at the Jatrabari intersection."
In the morning, a similar scene had unfolded in Mohammadpur bus stand, Basila and Dhaka Udyan areas, where drivers and workers gathered to voice their grievances. A group of protesters vandalised some trucks and vehicles in the Mohammadpur bus stand area at the time.
Additionally, other groups had also barricaded the roads in the areas mentioned above before they joined the protesters from other areas in front of the Press Club.
The protests, which started on 21 November and have been taking place every day since, stem from the High Court order issued on 19 November, directing authorities to halt the movement of battery-powered auto-rickshaws within three days. The government has yet to take any step in this regard.
Yesterday, the Rickshaw, Battery Rickshaw-Van, and Easybike Sangram Parishad at a rally issued a seven-day ultimatum for authorities concerned to finalise a guideline formulated specifically for them to operate on Dhaka streets.
Demanding a re-evaluation of the High Court order, the drivers and workers sought permission to operate following the implementation of the guideline. They also presented a seven-point charter of demands aimed at resolving their challenges and securing their livelihoods.
