Photo : Collected
Speaking at an event on Monday (20 May), Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has instructed scrapping the decision to ban battery-run autorickshaws from city streets, including in Dhaka.
Obaidul Quader, Road Transport and Bridges Minister said the PM had made the decision keeping in mind the livelihoods of the people involved.
"In view of the current global situation, Hasina has taken this decision thinking about the livelihood of low-income earners," he said.
However, the battery-run rickshaws will not ply the 22 highways as per the earlier decision, he added.
Earlier on May 15, the minister instructed the authorities concerned to take steps to stop the movement of battery-run three-wheelers on the roads in Dhaka city.
The ban on the three-wheelers sparked violent protests by drivers in different areas of the capital including Mirpur, Pallabi, Rampura and Demra on Saturday and Sunday.
Demanding the withdrawal of the ban, the drivers staged demonstrations blocking roads in different areas, vandalised some vehicles and set fire to a police box at Kalshi in Mirpur.
Though the batteries used by these e-rickshaws are not certified by BSTI yet there are more than three million e-rickshaws in Bangladesh currently.
Messenger/Mumu
