Auto-Rickshaw Drivers Demand Rationing, Pensions, and Free Healthcare Among 8 Key Points

Dhaka, November 24 — The Rickshaw, Battery-Powered Rickshaw-Van, and Easy Bike Struggle Council has urged the government to implement the Supreme Court’s directive on regulating battery-powered rickshaws and reconsider the ban on their operation. The organization pressed for measures to secure their livelihoods and presented an eight-point demand to the government.

During a demonstration held on Saturday in front of the National Press Club, the council called for swift action to address their demands.

The eight-point demands are as follows:

1. Finalize and publish the *Three-Wheeler and Similar Motor Vehicle Management and Regulation Policy 2024* without delay.
2. Register electric motorcycles, rickshaws, and other battery-powered vehicles under the existing regulatory framework and issue driver licenses and route permits.
3. Address technical flaws in battery-powered vehicles and modernize them to enhance efficiency and safety.
4. Provide adequate compensation to workers injured or killed in mass uprisings, with participation from students, workers, and the general public.
5. Establish dedicated charging stations across the country to prevent electricity theft and wastage.
6. Ensure free healthcare, rationing, and pension schemes for all workers, similar to the facilities provided to armed forces personnel.
7. Construct service roads or lanes for battery-powered and low-speed vehicles on all roads and highways to reduce accidents and traffic chaos.
8. Cease the seizure of battery-powered rickshaws and easy bikes across the country, including Dhaka, and return confiscated vehicles and batteries.

Leaders of the council warned that if their demands are not met promptly, they will escalate their protests.