Drivers want to ply 3-wheelers till 2pm

Owners and drivers of CNG-run auto-rickshaws in Chittagong yesterday requested that they be allowed to ply their vehicles from 6:00am till 2:00pm on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Sitakunda upazila.

Several hundred drivers and owners gathered in front of the residence of Chittagong-4 (Sitakunda-Pahartali) lawmaker Didarul Alam in Chittagong City Gate area and sought the additional time until an alternative solution was presented.

On August 6, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said CNG-run auto-rickshaws can use highways from 6:00am till 8:00am for refuelling at roadside stations without carrying passengers.      

Md Faruk Hossain, president of Chattagram Auto-rickshaw Auto-tempo Sramik Union, Akbar Shah unit yesterday said, "The lawmaker assured us that he would talk to the minister in this regard."

However, when contacted, Didarul Alam said the drivers and owners sought two more hours for plying the street, and that he would make the request to the minister.

The government banned three-wheeler auto-rickshaws and other slow-moving and unfit vehicles on highways with effect from August 1.