CMP urges residents to avoid battery-run, unauthorised CNG auto-rickshaws

Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) has urged city residents not to use battery-run and unauthorised CNG auto-rickshaws, acknowledging challenges in completely removing the vehicles from city streets despite an earlier ban.

In a public notice signed by CMP Commissioner Hasib Aziz and issued yesterday afternoon (11 August), the police said that neither battery-run auto-rickshaws nor CNG auto-rickshaws registered for rural areas are permitted to operate within Chattogram city limits.

According to the CMP, these vehicles contribute to traffic congestion, cause disorder on the roads, and are often operated by unlicensed or underage drivers, leading to frequent accidents.

The notice stated that the ongoing drive against such vehicles, which began in September last year, has been intensified and called on residents to cooperate by avoiding them.

Battery-run auto-rickshaws were banned in Chattogram city on 8 September last year, but lax enforcement in the initial months allowed them to remain on the streets. The issue resurfaced on 18 April this year, when a child died after a battery-run auto-rickshaw plunged into a canal in the city's Kapasgola area during rain.

Following the accident, Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Dr Shahadat Hossain publicly called for strict action against such vehicles. Later that month, CMP launched a large-scale eviction drive targeting both the streets and charging points for battery-run rickshaws. Magistrates joined some operations, during which several thousand vehicles and batteries were seized from roads and garages.

The crackdown also led to multiple clashes between police and drivers. While the April drive temporarily reduced their presence on major roads, CMP says the number of battery-run auto-rickshaws has been rising again in recent weeks, prompting the latest public warning.