Traffic resumed in Dhaka’s Mohakhali area after nearly 10 hours following a blockade by CNG-run autorickshaw drivers on Sunday evening.
The drivers had blocked the road in front of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) headquarters in Mohakhali, bringing traffic to a standstill.
The demonstration, which began around 10am, ended around 7:30pm, after causing severe congestion and public suffering throughout the day.
The protesters’ vehicles are registered under Dhaka district. According to current regulations, only CNG-run autorickshaws registered in the Dhaka metro area are allowed to operate within the city.
The protesters are demanding permission to operate their vehicles in the Dhaka metro area as well.
“They have reduced our area of operations. BRTA authorities are agents of the Awami League and the Dhaka metro-registered CNG syndicate,” said one protester.
He added: “The BRTA chairman is responsible for the public’s suffering. If he had met our demands, none of this would have happened.”
“We pay road tax to the government, yet we are fined and our vehicles are dumped. We have families too,” another protester said, visibly agitated.
While ambulances and airport-bound vehicles were allowed to pass, all other traffic on the adjacent road came to a halt.
Mansur, a pedestrian, told Dhaka Tribune that he waited for two hours before starting to walk to his doctor’s appointment.
A job seeker, speaking anonymously, said that he was late for an interview due to the blockade.
Abdus Salam, a bike rider heading to Jatrabari, said the protest was unjustified. “I have been waiting here for two hours,” he said.
Another biker echoed the frustration, saying: “They can protest all day long if they do it inside the BRTA office. Do they not realize that blocking roads causes public suffering? I have been stuck here for hours. What am I supposed to tell my office?”
