Ctg three-wheelers' 'no' to meter, fare rate

Auto-rickshaws at the Outer Stadium in Chittagong before their owners and drivers held a rally and brought out a procession in the city yesterday. PHOTO: STAR

Under the banner of Chittagong Baby Taxi Tempo Chalok Malik Oikya Parishad, they held a rally at the Outer Stadium and brought out an auto-ricshaw procession from there. They then submitted the memorandum to the Prime Minister through the Deputy Commissioner.

The Parishad leaders also called on Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury at his office.

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In the memorandum they said introduction of meter with a government-fixed fare rate of Tk 12 for first two kilometres and Tk five for every kilometre more is not acceptable.

They said Chittagong is a smaller city than Dhaka, also with a lesser population. But the port city has over 13,000 CNG-run and four-stroke auto-rickshaws against some 12,000 in Dhaka city.

Moreover, compared to Dhaka, consumption of fuel is much more in Chittagong because of its hilly topography, they said.

So, introduction of meter with a fixed fare rate here like in Dhaka would make survival of about 40,000 auto-rickshaw drivers at stake, they claimed.

The other demands include reduction of fees for registration, tax- token, fitness and route permit, fixation of penalty for tenure- expired tax-token on daily basis (Tk 1 per day) instead of three-monthly basis, creation of adequate parking spaces for auto-rickshaws, end to illegal toll collection and arrest of vehicle hijackers.

Parishad President Md Abul Kashem Sarker and General Secretary Nazrul Islam Sarker handed over the memorandum while other leaders were also present.