Pushing rickshaws into chaos
Bishawjit Das
Lanes and by-lanes in the city, already jammed with thousands of rickshaws, will plunge into more traffic tangles, as a move is on to phase out rickshaws from six major roads from November in the latest such attempt. Rickshaw-pullers accused the authorities of forcing them out of their job by phasing out the slow-moving vehicles to clear space for motorised vehicles. "We are trying to streamline traffic in the city of 120 million people. We have to create space for the motorised vehicles," said a Dhaka Transport Co-ordination Board (DTCB) official. "We are also considering the transport cost the commuters bear every day. It is better to give more access to motorised vehicles than rickshaws," he added. The official reasoned out that rickshaw-pullers are adding to overpopulation in Dhaka as many migrate to the capital in search of money and settle for rickshaw-pedalling. According to the DTCB, the capital is home to almost five lakh rickshaws for 10 lakh pullers, but only 87,000 of the vehicles are licensed. Asked whether the authorities would slap a wholesale ban on rickshaws, the official said, "Not really. We will limit the number of rickshaws to a minimum. One-third of the actual number will be enough for the city." Rajabazar area is facing serious traffic tangles mostly of rickshaws as a trickle-down effect of the ban on rickshaw-plying on the Mirpur Road. But Rajabazar is not alone. It is equally true of Tejkunipara, Tejgaon, Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Central Road, Old Dhaka, Jatrabari, Kamalapur, Malibagh, Moghbazar, Khilgaon and Bashabo. Dhaka Metropolitan Traffic Police launched a hunt for illegal rickshaws in the city on September 9 and seized 728 rickshaws. "These rickshaws will not be returned to their owners as they are all illegal," said Ansar Uddin Khan Pathan, deputy commissioner traffic (north). Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) did not issue licences to new rickshaws after 1986 and the term of the licences issued before 1986 ended on June 30 last year. The rickshaw-pullers described the ban as antihuman. "The government cannot take such a decision against us. We also voted the government," a rickshaw puller said. "They cannot seize our vehicles. Rickshaws are the only means of our income," another rickshaw-puller said.
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