Thousands of battery-powered rickshaws occupied Hathazari roads
Md Hossain (Hathazari) Chattogram
Battery operated rickshaws have increased day by day in Hathazari of Chattogram . Battery-powered rickshaws run by unskilled drivers cause severe traffic jams on roads and highways, but there is no visible action against them by the administration. A traffic policeman said on condition of anonymity that regular raids are being conducted against those rickshaws on the road. The battery-powered rickshaws that cause traffic jams on the roads and highways are also plying on the highways with dangerous passengers.
There is only one road to the two hill districts of Rangamati and Khagrachari over this upazila adjacent to Chattogram city. Every day different vehicles from far and wide are plying on this road. Sometimes battery operated rickshaws cause traffic jams for hours.
When talking to the drivers, they said that the daily fare is 350 taka. There are several garages in the municipal headquarters, where two hundred taka are charged to illegally charge batteries during the day and night. Battery-powered rickshaws are increasing in urban areas every day, along with increasing traffic congestion.
There is no restriction on the movement of rickshaws with the permission of the administration to decongest the roads and highways, but there is a need to have rules for the movement, informed circles said.
