Dhaka returns to normal after battery-run rickshaw drivers suspend protests till Saturday
Commuters suffered severely due to the daylong demonstrations and blockades at different points across the capital
Vehicular movement started returning to normal gradually right before the evening today (21 November) on most of the roads of Dhaka city as protesting battery-run rickshaw drivers left the areas after a day full of tension and immense suffering for the commuters.
However, gridlocks were still seen in some of the major intersections around the city at around 6pm due to the heavy pressure of vehicles that spent the better part of the day stuck.
The drivers left the roads after suspending their blockade for two days till Saturday to realise their demands. Giving the two-day ultimatum, they threatened to go for tougher movement if their demands were not met within the timeframe, reports UNB.
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Earlier in the day, they began their demonstrations and blockades in different spots between 9am and 10am, protesting the High Court's (HC) order from Tuesday seeking concerned authorities' action to remove the three-wheelers from the capital's streets within three days.
Demanding permission to operate on the streets, they carried out their protests creating severe traffic congestion while thousands of commuters were left in the lurch and forced to walk or find alternative ways to reach their destinations.
Patients travelling on their own for urgent medical care were among the worst hit. However, the protesting rickshaw drivers allowed students and ambulances carrying patients to pass.
The protesters started pulling back from the streets in the afternoon after law enforcers managed to convince them. Earlier, around noon, different groups had clashed with army and police personnel in the Mohakhali level crossing and Khilgaon rail gate areas when law enforcers tried to disperse them by force.
Demand the withdrawal of the court order as it threatens their livelihood, the drivers throughout the day demonstrated at many areas of the city, including Mohakhali, Agargaon, Kallyanpur, Gabtoli, Technical intersection, Mirpur-2, Mirpur-10, Kazipara, Shewrapara, Mirpur-11, Pallabi, Dhanmondi, Rampura, Demra, Mohammadpur, Basila, Dhaka Udyan, Malibagh, and Khilgaon.
Md Russel, officer-in-charge of Banani Police Station, said the battery-run rickshaw drivers gathered at the Mohakhali intersection at around 9am, halting vehicular movement.
Later, they blocked the Mohakhali level crossing as well, suspending railway communication between Dhaka and most of the country.
Bangladesh Army troopers and police personnel chased the protesters to move them away from the railway tracks at around 12pm. A chase-counter-chase took place at the time, creating some tension, during which the protesters were seen hurling brickbats at the law enforcers. They also vandalised some vehicles and nearby buildings and establishments at the time.
Army and police had cleared out the level crossing area briefly at the time, but the protesters again took over the streets soon after.
The law enforcers later managed to convince the rickshaw drivers to leave the streets and rail tracks at around 3:30pm, said police officials.
During these six hours, no trains left or arrived at Kamalapur Railway Station. Train movement resumed between Dhaka and other parts of the country at around 4:10pm, according to railway officials.
Meanwhile, a massive number of commuters used the metro rail today as it was the only mode of transportation not facing any trouble due to the sudden chaos on the streets.
During the day, protesting rickshaw drivers fled the street in Rampura after army personnel arrived at the scene at around 1pm. Locals and pedestrians were also seen chasing the protesters away.
At around 12:30pm, some of the protesting rickshaw drivers at Kalshi Road in Mirpur-11 started cutting the chains and spokes of wheels in battery-run rickshaws and manhandling the drivers who were operating on the streets instead of joining the protests.
They also forced passengers to get off the rickshaws and walk to their destinations, said Zarin, one of the commuters who faced the hassle.
In the same area, she said, some protesters also vandalised an auto-rickshaw which was travelling with several female students of a local school. One of the girls sustained minor injuries.
Talking to The Business Standard, a battery-run rickshaw driver, who had been working since the morning, said, "Now I have no other choice but to go and join the protests. Otherwise, I'll come under attack too. They [organisers] are forcing everyone to join the protests."
Earlier in the morning, protests at the city's entry point in Gabtoli also halted the movement of vehicles coming into or leaving the city.
"Hundreds of battery-run auto-rickshaw pullers blocked the roads at Agargaon at around 10am, demanding withdrawal of the High Court order. Many vehicles are stuck in traffic jams as the protesters still are on the road," said Udayan Kumar, assistant commissioner (traffic) at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), at the time.
The High Court order, issued on Tuesday (19 November), cited safety concerns and unregulated modifications as reasons for its directive.
As authorities started implementing the directive, the sudden removal of thousands of rickshaws sparked unrest among drivers.
Approximately 12 lakh rickshaws currently operate across the capital, with a significant portion of them being battery-powered. Additionally, many old pedal-rickshaws are being converted into motorised three-wheelers by installing batteries.
