Autorickshaw drivers are protesting in front of BRTA to demand 10 points

CNG auto rickshaw drivers staged a protest in front of BRTA's head office in Mohakhali, demanding a daily deposit of Tk 500.

They took a position in front of the BRTA office around 11 o'clock on Wednesday (August 28). The drivers organized this program under the banner of Dhaka District Four Stroke Autorickshaw (CNG) Drivers Union, a labor organization belonging to Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation. The drivers chanted 'Unite Labor of the World' from the location programme.

The drivers said that the owners are trying to increase the deposit, that should be stopped. We are here to collect the 10-point demand of the drivers. This demand must be implemented.

They said that since 2015, the owner association has been torturing the drivers. If 5000 cars in Dhaka and 4000 cars in Chittagong are distributed among the drivers, the drivers will be freed from the torture of owner associations.

A driver named Subrata Mandal said that instead of the government fixed daily deposit of Tk 900, the owners are collecting Tk 1150 to Tk 1300 in one shift and Tk 1700 to Tk 1800 in two shifts. Even the owner association is planning to increase the deposit again from May 23, 2022. This extra deposit collection from the drivers should be stopped. Owners association should give receipt of deposit to drivers. Our main demand is to make the daily deposit of 900 rupees fixed by the government.

Another driver named Arju Khan said that nearly one lakh CNG drivers and one crore passengers of Dhaka city are hostage to about one thousand CNG owners. Passengers feel that CNG drivers oppress passengers. But no one ever knows or hears how helpless the drivers are. Drivers become unemployed three to four times a year due to lack of employment certificates. We want a permanent solution to this. We want the interim government to look into our affairs.