Staff Reporter :
Battery-run rickshaw drivers Thursday started demonstrations blocking rail tracks and roads in Mohakhali area and roads in Agargaon areas of the city, demanding they be allowed to drive the auto-rickshaw on roads.
Drivers of the rickshaws started the blockade around 9:00 am, creating a huge traffic jam in Mohakhali and Agargaon areas.
At the same time, train communication between Dhaka and other parts of the country has been halted.
Dhaka district railway police super Anwar Hossain said the battery-run rickshaw drivers blocked the rail tracks keeping their rickshaws on the tracks. They also have blocked the roads.
Meanwhile, hundreds of battery-run rickshaw drivers blocked the Agargaon intersection and brought out a protest procession.
Sher-e-Bangla police station officer-in-charge Md Azam said the movement of traffic in the vicinity has stopped.
The High Court on Tuesday ordered to either stop or put a restriction on the movement of battery-run rickshaws on the roads of Dhaka city within three days.
On that night, a student of Jahangirnagar University, Afsana Karim, died when a battery-run rickshaw hit her on the campus.
Agitated students demonstrated in this connection.
Meanwhile, the drivers of battery-powered rickshaws suspended their blockade for two days till Saturday to realise their demands.
Giving a two-day ultimatum, they threatened that they would go for tougher movement if their demands are not met within the timeframe.
Md Russell, officer-in-charge of Banani police station, said that the auto-rickshaw drivers left the city streets in Mohakhali area around 4pm allowing traffic to run several hours after clutches.
Jynul Abedin, officer-in-charge of Kamala Railway Police Station, said the train movement resumed with Dhaka and parts of the country around 4:10pm after the protesters removed the trail tracks in the Mohakhali area.
Earlier, on Thursday morning, the auto-rickshaw drivers blocked roads in different parts of the capital protesting a ban on their movement on city streets.
The roads include Mohakhali, Basila Dhaka Uddyan, Mirpur-10, Mirpur-12, Kazipara, Shewrapara and Mirpur Golchattar and Agargaon areas of the capital.
Commuters experienced gridlock in different parts of the capital following the blockade programme.
