Leaders of Rickshaw, Battery Rickshaw-Van and Easy bike Sramik Union on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, demanding legalisation of battery-run three wheelers.
They also held a victory march and a rally to press home their four-point demand in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, following the government鈥檚 decision to allow operations of battery-run rickshaws amid street protests.
Their demands included providing licenses for improvised battery-run vehicles and drivers by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, stopping abuse of battery-run vehicle workers and extortion by taking action against those involved in the illegal activity, which was occurring in the name of card and token distribution.
Communist Party Bangladesh former president Mujahidul Islam Selim said that the state was oppressing the poor while catering to the rich.
鈥楾he workers have learned through this movement how to resist oppression and claim their rights,鈥� he said.
He also urged protesters to continue the movement until the legalisation and BRTA licensing for battery-run vehicles and drivers were achieved.
Speakers at the rally stated that more than 50 lakh drivers of battery-run vehicles would lose their livelihoods unless the government legalised them.
They asserted that rickshaw-van-easy bike workers should be guaranteed civil rights and social status as human beings.
They also demanded the release of people arrested over the Mirpur clash and the withdrawal of cases against them.
On Monday, the government backtracked on its decision to ban the operation of unauthorised battery-run rickshaws in Dhaka city amid street protests by the drivers.
The decision came five days after the minister Obaidul Quader instructed the authorities on Wednesday not to allow battery-run vehicles on Dhaka city roads, sparking protests in the capital.
On Monday, protesters held a rally and blocked major roads in the city, leading to severe traffic congestion in several busy areas, just a day after a clash with police in the Mirpur area, where they demanded the withdrawal of the ban.
On Sunday, over a dozen people were injured in clashes with police during a procession in Mirpur. Protesters also set a police box on fire in the area.
