The first day of eviction drive against battery-run auto-rickshaws could not achieve its expected results as most of these vehicles remained off the city roads to avoid penalty.
The joint team of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP), Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) and Chittagong district administration, seized a total of 67 battery-run rickshaws in the port city on the first day of the eviction drive yesterday.
Deputy Commissioner (traffic-north zone) Faruk Ahmed of the CMP said they had seized 67 battery-run rickshaws till 4pm adding that the rickshaws would be given back to the owners after removing their motors and batteries.
The owners and drivers of battery-run rickshaws in Chittagong city have been instructed to run their vehicles on the city roads after removing the battery and motor within August 30 according to the order of the ministry concerned and the High Court.
The authorities concerned after a meeting on August 25 announced that they would seize battery-run vehicles if those ply road after the deadline.
CMP Additional Commissioner (traffic, finance and administration) AKM Shahidur Rahman said additional traffic inspectors and sergeants were deployed at 26 points to conduct the drive.
About one hundred thousand battery-run rickshaws are now plying the port city streets under 13 different associations. Apart from them, 70,000 rickshaws were licensed by the Chittagong City Corporation.
Meanwhile, the plying of battery-run auto-rickshaws was remarkably low on the first day of eviction. While visiting different points of the city, it was found that most of the battery-run auto-rickshaws stayed off the streets.
Talking with a number of rickshaw-pullers, Dhaka Tribune found that they did not ply their rickshaws because of drive.
Asked whether they are obeying the authorities’ instruction, Vice President Firoz Alom of Chittagong Rickshaw and Battery-run Rickshaw Malik Sangram Parishad said they did not ply their rickshaws because of the hartal.
On Saturday, they issued 48-hour ultimatum to the CCC Mayor M Monjur Alam to resign from his post. They also threatened to siege CCC Office, on August 3 if their seven-point demands were not met within 48 hours.
The seven-point demands include providing license to the rickshaw-owners and stopping the harassment of rickshaw-drivers.