Battery-powered rickshaw drivers stage a one-hour sit-in in Dhaka to press for their eight-point demands

On Thursday morning, the Rickshaw, Battery Rickshaw-Van, and Easy Bike Sangram Parishad organized a one-hour sit-in in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, advocating for eight key demands.

The sit-in, which took place from 11 AM to 12 PM, followed a procession led by the group's leaders and activists. They gathered on the sidewalk in front of the Press Club, raising a list of eight demands, including the implementation of the Fair Management and Control Policy for Three-Wheelers and Similar Motor Vehicles-2024 for battery-powered vehicles. They also called for the swift finalization and gazetting of this policy. Other key demands included:

1. Registration of battery-powered vehicles (including easy bikes and rickshaws) under the new policy, with licenses and route permits issued to drivers.
2. Modernization of battery-powered vehicles to correct technical defects. The movement of these vehicles, which support millions of people’s livelihoods, must continue.
3. Compensation, medical, and rehabilitation support for workers injured or killed during protests, including those operating battery-powered vehicles.
4. Establishment of charging stations for electric or battery-powered vehicles to curb electricity theft and waste.
5. Construction of service roads or by-lanes for easy bikes, rickshaws, and other low-speed vehicles on highways and local roads to reduce accidents and chaos. The nationwide seizure of rickshaws and easy bikes, especially in Dhaka, must stop.
6. Implementation of road discipline through proper driver training, and effective measures to curb extortion, harassment, and battery theft. Arrests should be made to target criminal gangs.
7. Provision of pensions and free medical treatment for all workers.

Khalequzzaman Lipon, the convener of the council, shared that the government has promised to address these demands after a few more meetings. In pursuit of these goals, the drivers plan another sit-in in front of the National Press Club on February 27, this time bringing their families along. If their demands are still unmet, drivers from across the country will hold a major rally in Dhaka. To further their cause, sit-ins are also taking place at the BRTA offices in all districts.