Ban on three-wheelers on highways enforced

The government's ban on plying of slow-moving vehicles, including auto-rickshaws, on national highways in the country came into force on Saturday amid protests by associations of drivers and owners.
Sources said under various banners, owners and drivers staged demonstrations at different points in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions in the morning after the highway police obstructed them.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges issued the official ban on plying of auto-rickshaws, locally-made human-haulers and other non-mechanised vehicles on the national highways across Bangladesh from August 1.
The decision in this regard was taken in an inter-ministerial meeting, organised by the ministry on July 22, after a number of tragic accidents took place on different national highways just after the Eid-ul-Fitr celebration. More than 200 people were killed in the accidents.
The meeting found that presence of too many three-wheelers often created obstruction to movement of heavy vehicles on the highways, causing frequent accidents.
After the announcement of ban, auto-rickshaw, auto-tempo and Mishuk Sramik Unions demanded withdrawal of the ban and threatened of launching a 'tough movement', if their demand was not met.
Though the High Court had banned three-wheeler human-haulers - 'Nasiman', 'Kariman' or 'Bhatbhati' - on highways in 10 south-western districts last year, plying of these slow-moving vehicles could not be checked.
Highway Police sources said police in all 29 highway stations were active along with the district police to check the slow-moving vehicle drivers to come to the highways since morning.
They admitted that there were some protests at some points, including Patia and Habiganj, but those were withdrawn without any trouble.
"We have tried to stop the drivers before they come to the highways. But at some points it could not be done, as they refilled gas from the filling stations located on the highways," said superintendent of police Rezaul Karim.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) also conducted drives through its magistrates at its district-level offices in the country, and faced an obstruction by workers' associations.
Road Transport and Highway Division Secretary M A N Siddique said since issuance of the order the ministry is monitoring its enforcement, keeping in touch with the police.
He said it has also kept the efforts on to convince drivers and owners' associations, so that they can understand the problems. All these three-wheelers and shallow-engine vehicles are allowed on all other roads that dominate the country's 22,000 km road network.
"We have given the order. It is now the duty of enforcement agencies to put it into force. But we will continue monitoring so that accidents on the highways can be reduced," the secretary told the FE.
A bdnews24.com report adds, auto-rickshaw owners and drivers in Munshiganj blocked the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway on Saturday protesting the ban on the three-wheelers.
The protestors blocked the highway at Gazaria Upazila's Bausiya at around 11:00 am. The protest created a big traffic snarl on one of the busiest highways of the country. Traffic resumed after an hour, when the police intervened.
 smunima@yahoo.com