CNG Autorickshaw Workers Council demands retesting for driving licence renewal be scrapped
They also warned of tougher movements after Ramadan if their demands are not met
Autorickshaw workers' organisation, Dhaka CNG Autorickshaw Workers' Unity Council, has placed a 10-point demand, including the abolition of retesting for licence renewal of professional autorickshaw drivers, as it creates lots of hassles for drivers.
Council leaders questioned why a driver has to go through a retest for licence renewal since his skills were already tested once before issuing the licence. They also demanded that the government bear the cost of dope tests for drivers.
At a press conference organised at the Dhaka Reporters Unity on Thursday, council leaders also requested the government to provide 5,000 CNG autorickshaws to licensed three-wheeler drivers in Dhaka city, conduct mobile court drives against unscrupulous owners who charge extra daily deposits from drivers, and to put a stop to harassment of drivers by traffic police.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"The government has set Tk900 as a daily deposit for CNG/petrol-run three-wheelers but many owners charge Tk400-500 extra from drivers, violating government directives. The government should take immediate action to stop this," said Mohammad Hanif Khokon, member secretary of the council.
He also warned of tougher movements after Ramadan if their demands are not met.
The other demands include cancelling the order that bans CNG-run autorickshaws on the highway, and not allowing app-based ridesharing non-professional drivers to drive, arranging special parking spaces at important public places, stopping CNG-run autorickshaws of Narayanganj, Gazipur and other areas outside Dhaka metro running on Dhaka city roads, and taking strict legal measures to curb theft and hijacking of autorickshaws and the murder of drivers on roads.
The organisation's convener, Md Jakir Hossain, said the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority decided to provide 5,000 CNG autorickshaws to licensed drivers in 2008, but some people approached the court regarding the issue and it is yet to be settled.
"We want the promise to be fulfilled and the autorickshaws to be distributed among drivers soon," he added.
