CNG auto drivers want daily deposit to be Tk 900

The CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers have demanded that the daily deposit amount of Tk 900 for vehicle owners should be made effective immediately and police harassment through fines and cases in the name of no metre and no parking must be stopped.

They have also demanded the amendment of the clauses in the Road Transport Act 2018 and Road Transport Rules 2022 that go against the drivers’ interests and the right to form trade unions as per ILO Convention 87.

Leaders of Dhaka Mahanagar CNG Auto-Rickshaw Chalok Oikya Parishad made the demands at a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Monday.

They said that Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) on November 1, 2015, apart from fixing the passenger fares, had set the daily deposit at Tk 900 for CNG-run auto-rickshaw owners in Dhaka city. But the vehicle owners disobeyed the BRTA directive and have been illegally collecting Tk 1,100-1,300 or more every day from the drivers.

This has made the drivers’ lives very difficult as they are struggling to survive after meeting the rising living expenses, said the leaders.

They said the prices of CNG and daily necessities and house rents have increased since 2015 but the metre rates have not. It has become necessary to reduce the daily deposit rate in line with BRTA’s directive considering the current market situation and other factors, the leaders stressed.

Traffic Inspectors and sergeants of Dhaka Metropolitan Police are constantly suing the auto drivers and fining them Tk 700-7,000 even without proper causes. This has become harassment of extreme level, they alleged.

In addition, the leaders demanded 5,000 drivers’ registrations be cleared, approval for 15,000 more drivers for Dhaka city to register, and a stop to the harassment of drivers with “no parking” cases.