Auto-rickshaw owners threaten strike

Owners of CNG-driven auto-rickshaws have threatened to call a three-day strike in Dhaka from Tuesday. They issued the threat one week after the Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association made a similar threat. Dhaka Metropolitan CNG Auto-rickshaw Owners Association from a human-chain programme on Saturday announced to go on a strike from Tuesday if validity of auto-rickshaws is not extended by 15 years by tomorrow (Monday). The organisation urged the government to take a call on the issue by Monday. Member Secretary ATM Nazmul Hasan said: ‘This time the government will not be able to trick us to withdraw our strike, like they did before.’ It was a fair demand to extend the economic life of nearly 13,000 auto-rickshaws plying on the streets of Dhaka City, he said. Earlier on May 17, CNG filling station owners had threatened to soon call an indefinite strike if the government fails to meet their seven-point charter of demands, according to bdnews24.com.