Ctg auto-rickshaw drivers observe wildcat strike
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
CHITTAGONG, Apr 27 (UNB): Hundreds of CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers enforced a wildcat strike in the port city Monday to press home their five-point demand.
The auto-rickshaw drivers stopped plying their vehicles on the roads at about 9:00am, causing immense sufferings to the city people.
The agitated drivers also damaged a number of vehicles, including a police van and buses at city's Dewanhat intersection, Agrabad and Beparipara protesting harassment of them by the traffic police in the name of on-going drive.
Earlier, on April 20, Traffic Department of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) launched a drive in the city against the CNG-run auto-rickshaw for plying without metres or with faulty metres.
The drivers held a rally in front of the district press club at about 11:00am and announced their five-point demand.
They said CNG-run auto-rickshaw will start plying on the city roads from Tuesday (today) as usual as they have decided to observe the strike only for Monday.
The drivers also gave a 96-hour ultimatum to the CMP Traffic Department to meet their demands. Otherwise, they said, they will go for a tougher programme.
The demands include stopping police harassment on them and seizing of their three-wheelers randomly in the name of on-going drive, implementing the decision taken by the government to give Tk 450 to the auto-rickshaw owner daily, allowing them to park their vehicles at important roads and security of the drivers.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of CMP Traffic Department Moinul Islam said the drivers enforced the strike suddenly this morning without any negotiation with them.
"We are trying to sit with them to settle the matter," he said. Additional police forces have already been deployed in all the significant roads in the city to avoid any untoward incident.
The auto-rickshaw drivers stopped plying their vehicles on the roads at about 9:00am, causing immense sufferings to the city people.
The agitated drivers also damaged a number of vehicles, including a police van and buses at city's Dewanhat intersection, Agrabad and Beparipara protesting harassment of them by the traffic police in the name of on-going drive.
Earlier, on April 20, Traffic Department of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) launched a drive in the city against the CNG-run auto-rickshaw for plying without metres or with faulty metres.
The drivers held a rally in front of the district press club at about 11:00am and announced their five-point demand.
They said CNG-run auto-rickshaw will start plying on the city roads from Tuesday (today) as usual as they have decided to observe the strike only for Monday.
The drivers also gave a 96-hour ultimatum to the CMP Traffic Department to meet their demands. Otherwise, they said, they will go for a tougher programme.
The demands include stopping police harassment on them and seizing of their three-wheelers randomly in the name of on-going drive, implementing the decision taken by the government to give Tk 450 to the auto-rickshaw owner daily, allowing them to park their vehicles at important roads and security of the drivers.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of CMP Traffic Department Moinul Islam said the drivers enforced the strike suddenly this morning without any negotiation with them.
"We are trying to sit with them to settle the matter," he said. Additional police forces have already been deployed in all the significant roads in the city to avoid any untoward incident.