Commuters suffer as battery-run rickshaw drivers block roads in Mirpur
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Commuters forced to walk kilometers to reach destinations
Time Digital Report: Drivers of battery-run rickshaws and easy bikes have been protesting the ongoing crackdown against their vehicles by blocking various roads at Mirpur in Dhaka since this morning, disrupting traffic movement in the area.
Witnesses said commuters suffered, with many forced to walk kilometers to reach their destinations as the drivers diverted buses in different directions.
At some points, they attacked buses, private car and paddle rickshaws, witnesses and police said.
Many took to the social media to warn city dwellers to avoid different roads in Mirpur area.
Several hundred drivers first gathered in Mirpur-11, Mirpur-1 and Kalshi areas around 9:30 am, protesting the drive against the batter-run vehicles as per the government decision, Jasim Uddin, deputy commissioner of Mirpur Traffic Division, told the media.
The battery-run rickshaw and easy bike drivers beat up several paddle rickshaw pullers in Kalshi area, he said, adding that the protestors also vandalised the windows of several buses in Mirpur-11.
The protestors later gathered at Mirpur-10 intersection, disrupting traffic movement, he said.
The DC said they are trying to handle the situation with patience. "We are trying to convince them to leave the road," Jasim Uddin said.
Apart from traffic police, additional police members from Mirpur Division are on the streets to avoid any untoward situation.
Similar protests were also reported from different other roads of the capital.