CNG Drivers Block Banani Road Over 9 Demands, Causing Severe Traffic Jam

Staff Reporter

Members of the Dhaka Metropolitan CNG Auto-Rickshaw Drivers’ Unity Council staged a road blockade in Banani on Monday to press their nine-point demand, including setting the daily deposit for CNG auto-rickshaws at Tk 900. The blockade took place in front of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) headquarters, halting traffic from Banani to Mohakhali.

Mohammad Golap Siddique, member secretary of the council, confirmed the protest.

The blockade ended around 3 p.m. without any announcement of future action.

Assistant Commissioner Md. Junaid Zahedi of DMP’s Traffic (North) Mohakhali Zone said police were deployed to manage the situation, and traffic resumed on the Kakoli-Mohakhali road after the protestors left.

The council’s other demands include:
1. Immediate registration (blue book) of 5,000 government-approved CNG auto-rickshaws for Dhaka Metro from 2007 in the drivers’ names.
2. Approval for 15,000 additional CNG auto-rickshaws in Dhaka, proportionate to the city’s size.
3. Compensation of Tk 1 million for drivers’ families if they die in accidents while on duty.
4. Right to form trade unions in line with ILO Convention 87.
5. An end to all forms of driver harassment by authorities.
6. A halt to “no parking” fines until adequate parking spaces are designated.
7. Permission for CNG auto-rickshaws to operate in designated lanes on highways.
8. Repeal of worker-unfriendly provisions in the Road Transport Act 2018 and its 2023 regulations.