Unregistered rickshaws will not be allowed in Dhaka: Mayor Taposh

Unregistered and illegal rickshaws will not be allowed to operate in the capital, Dhaka South Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh has said.

"The operation of these rickshaws will be gradually stopped in accordance with an integrated action plan," he added, while inspecting the designated place for the rickshaw stand in Dhanmondi 2/A area on Wednesday.

Taposh said, "All rickshaws, except those registered in the Dhaka South City Corporation area, have been declared illegal. Therefore, illegal rickshaws — whether battery-operated or pedal-powered — will not be allowed to ply in Dhaka city. The plan to implement this will be carried out gradually through a step-by-step action plan. The Rickshaw Owners' Association has also agreed not to operate any rickshaws in Dhaka without proper registration."

The Dhaka South mayor said that a total of ten places would be designated to keep rickshaws along Dhanmondi Road-2, adding, "We want only registered rickshaws to operate in Dhaka".

Stating that this initiative has been taken as part of a plan to modernise the traffic management, he said, "We want passengers to board the rickshaw from the designated place and get down again at the designated place. As part of this effort, rickshaw stands will be arranged at designated locations along Saat Masjid Road, Dhanmondi West, Jhigatala, and Hazaribagh to facilitate smooth and orderly transportation for the large population in these areas."

Expressing concerns over multi-storey buildings using road spaces for parking, the mayor warned that drives will be conducted against those who park their vehicles haphazardly on the roads.

In response to a question from journalists regarding the ongoing dengue menace, Taposh said the city corporation is regularly destroying the breeding grounds of aedes mosquitoes, based on the information obtained from the DGHS and the control room.