Staff Reporter :
Battery-run rickshaw drivers have issued an ultimatum to the government, demanding resolution of a recent High Court order that banned their vehicles in Dhaka city.
The Rickshaw, Battery Rickshaw-Van, and E-rickshaw Drivers’ Struggle Council announced they would launch large-scale protests across the country unless their demands are addressed within seven days.
The High Court ruling, issued on November 19, directed the suspension of battery-operated rickshaws in Dhaka following a petition from a pedal-powered rickshaw association.
The petition argued that battery-operated rickshaws were illegal in the capital.
In response, Khalekuzzaman Lipon, convener of the Drivers’ Struggle Council, led a demonstration at the Jatiya Press Club on Saturday, calling
for an immediate reconsideration of the court’s order.
Lipon questioned the legality of the High Court’s decision, noting that the Supreme Court had previously ruled in 2022 that battery-operated rickshaws could not operate on highways but were permitted on other roads.
He argued that the High Court’s ruling contradicted this higher court’s decision and was therefore invalid.
At the rally, Lipon demanded that the government finalize a policy within seven days to issue licenses, registration, and route permits for battery-operated rickshaws.
He emphasized that drivers were not seeking to operate on highways, but rather within designated lanes.
The group has warned that if their demands are not met, protests will be staged in all 64 districts of Bangladesh on November 30.
After the High Court’s directive to ban battery-operated rickshaws, protests erupted, including road blockades in areas such as Mohakhali, Mirpur, Malibagh, Mohammadpur, Gabtali, Agargaon, Nakhalpara, Rampura, Khilgaon, and other parts of Dhaka.
The protests follow a series of clashes between rickshaw drivers and police in Dhaka, including a confrontation on November 22 during a road and rail blockade in Jurain, Dhaka.
Rickshaw drivers have expressed frustration over bureaucratic delays, pointing out that the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) had already acknowledged the legitimacy of their concerns in July and had informed them in October that a policy on licensing and route permits had been finalized.
Lipon also stressed the importance of the issue as the livelihoods of three crore people depend on the income coming from battery-run rickshaws.
