The CNG Auto-Rickshaw Workers' Oikya Parishad of Dhaka and Chittagong districts have announced a five-day program to press for their 13-point demand.
On Sunday, at a press conference at the Zahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall of the National Press Club, Abdul Jabbar Mia, member secretary of the council, announced the program.
Their five-day program includes a gathering in front of the National Press Club at 11am on February 20, followed by the submission of a memorandum to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges.
On February 25, at 11am, a human chain will be formed at the Chittagong Press Club.
On February 27, at 11am, they will besiege the BRTA headquarters.
On March 23, at 11, drivers will hold a human chain at the National Press Club demanding Eid bonuses.
On April 15, there will be a 24-hour CNG autorickshaw strike in Dhaka and Chittagong metropolitan areas.
Among the council's 13 demands are the registration of an additional 15,000 new CNG autorickshaws in Dhaka and 10,000 in Chittagong, in addition to the 5,000 and 4,000 already allocated to licensed drivers.
They also demand an increase in the current limit set in the 2007 policy and the issuance of a gazette notification accordingly.
They want the 2018 BRTA and council meeting decisions regarding vehicle distribution to be jointly implemented.
They demand that the daily deposit to vehicle owners be reduced from Tk900 to Tk800 in Dhaka and to Tk700 in Chittagong.
They say the fare should be set at Tk75 for the first two kilometres and Tk27 per kilometre thereafter, with a waiting charge of Tk5 per minute.
Additionally, they want the extra deposits collected in the past to be refunded to drivers.
According to the 2007 policy, parking arrangements for CNG autorickshaws must be ensured in Dhaka and Chittagong, they add.
Unlawful "no parking" cases, video fines, over-meter fines, and harassment through towing and dumping should be stopped, the workers demand.
They demand easy and fast issuance of driving licences, cancellation of the harassing field test method for renewing professional licenses, and making drug tests mandatory for all drivers, with free tests for professional license holders.
They also call for making all road accident-related cases bailable under the Road Transport Act, 2018, ensuring impartial investigations into sensitive cases, abolishing the provision for arrests without warrants, reducing penalties, and amending all anti-worker provisions.
They demand that the eviction of “Dhaka-THA” CNG auto-rickshaws be stopped until 20,000 vehicles are allocated to resident drivers of the Dhaka metro area.
To facilitate the free movement of CNG auto-rickshaws and other slow-moving vehicles, they call for the construction of bypass lanes, service roads, and underpasses or overpasses at crossings along national and regional highways.
They demand the resolution of the private CNG auto-rickshaw ownership case based on the 2019 BRTA legal advisor’s report and the prohibition of commercial use of private CNG auto-rickshaws in Dhaka and Chittagong.
A new national policy should be formulated with input from all stakeholders, including worker representatives, under the 2018 Road Transport Act, they say.
They demand the repeal of the Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 2023 and the right to form independent trade unions.
To eliminate middlemen, they demand that drivers be given direct ownership of CNG auto-rickshaws through new registrations.
They also call for a ban on the illegal installation of 200-300 cylinder gas systems in covered vans and trucks, keeping CNG stations open 24/7, and installing dedicated nozzles for CNG auto-rickshaws at filling stations in Dhaka and Chittagong to ensure priority access to fuel.
They demand mandatory uniforms for all ride-sharing drivers operating in Dhaka and Chittagong, a ban on the commercial use of non-professional driving licenses, restrictions on unauthorized vehicles operating under ride-sharing platforms, and publication of the list of enlisted vehicles on the traffic police website.
The press conference was presided over by Ruhul Amin Munshi, the convener of the Dhaka and Chittagong District CNG Auto-Rickshaw Workers’ Oikya Parishad. Other attendees included joint conveners Sakhawat Hossain Dulal, Khalilur Rahman, Alamgir Kabir, Faruq Hossain (Chittagong), Abul Kalam, Jewel Maltia, Shah Alam, Nur Morshed, Khorshed Alam, Motaleb Sharif, Alamgir Hossain, and Momin Patowary.
