Owners and drivers of CNG-run auto-rickshaws on Tuesday called off the indefinite strike they had earlier announced from July 3 after the government's assurance for extending 'economic life' of the three-wheelers by two years.
The government, however, has decided not to further raise the fare and deposit of the Compressed Natural Gas-run auto-rickshaws operating in Dhaka and Chittagong as demanded by the owners and the drivers.
'We have decided to extend the economic life of a CNG-run auto-rickshaw by two years on the recommendation of BUET and the owners and workers of the three-wheelers have agreed to withdraw their strike,' secretary to the Roads and Highways Division Mozammel Haque Khan told reporters after a meeting with representatives of the CNG-run auto-rickshaw owners and workers at the secretariat.
The drivers complained to the government that many of the owners realise Tk 800 to Tk 1000 for each auto-rickshaw although the daily deposit was fixed at Tk 600. They also alleged that police very often harass the drivers to realise 'kickbacks' from them.
There has been a common allegation against the drivers that they were always unwilling to go on meter. The drivers on the other hand say they have to pay more than the government-fixed rate to the owners for the three-wheelers.
'We will take stern measures against the owners if they realise from any driver more than Tk 600 set by the government,' Mozammel warned.
He said that the errant owners would not be allowed to replace their old three-wheelers whenever these vehicles would expire their economic life.
Senior officials from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, police and the roads and highways division attended the meeting, among others.
The meeting also decided that the police would be more active to remove harassments of passengers by the CNG drivers.
The Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology earlier recommended extension of the auto-rickshaws' 'economic life' from nine years to 11 years.
The CNG-run auto-rickshaws were introduced in 2003 when the daily deposit against one auto-rickshaw was fixed at Tk 300 which been revised to Tk 600 in 2011 and fare for fist two kilometres was Tk 12 in 2003 which was revised to Tk 25 following price hike of fuel and spare parts in 2011.
The Dhaka District Auto-rickshaw Workers' Union had demanded that the minimum fare be raised by Tk 10 and fare for the next every kilometre by Tk 2 in Dhaka and Chittagong cities.
Dhaka Metropolitan CNG Auto-Rickshaw Owners' Association had demanded the daily deposit be increased to Tk 750.
'We have agreed to withdraw the strike as the government has extended the economic life of the auto-rickshaws by two years. The fare and the deposit will remain the same,' the association's president Barkat Ullah Bhulu told New Age.
CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers at a rally on Saturday called for an indefinite strike from July 3 to press home their 10-point demand which included an increase in the fare in keeping with the of CNG price hike.
Their demands also included punitive measures against the auto-rickshaw owners who collect extra money from drivers ignoring the government-fixed deposit, end to police harassment in the name of checking driver's licence, a new hassle-free system of obtaining drivers' licence and parking space for auto-rickshaws at different places.
Source : New Age
