Battery-run rickshaws have been permitted ply the roads of Chittagong for a further six months according to a High Court order claimed Salamat Ali the president of the Chittagong City Rickshaw Malik Federation, a platform of battery-run rickshaw owners, at a press conference held at the Chittagong city yesterday.
He said after having failed to get any solution from the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP), the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) and district administration over the plying of battery-run rickshaws, they had filed a petition in the High Court seeking solutions in this regard.
“The HC bench after a hearing on September 11 allowed us to ply battery-run rickshaws for six more months while the copy of the HC order has already been placed before the CCC mayor, the CMP commissioner, and the Deputy Commissioner,” he said.
When contacted, Additional Commissioner of the CMP (traffic, finance and administration) AKM Shahidur Rahman said they had received order copy and were looking into the matter.
On August 5, the HC imposed ban on operating battery-run rickshaws on the city roads rejecting the appeal of the owners and pullers and the authorities concerned executed the order on August 31.
From the very beginning of the ban, battery-run rickshaw owners and pullers started demonstrations in the city. The also held meetings with authorities concerned several times.
After the ban, paddle-run rickshaws and CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers started charging commuters at their will in the port city, causing sufferings for the city dwellers.
