Battery-run rickshaw drivers block roads, rail lines at various points in Dhaka

Drivers of the battery-run rickshaw blocked roads and rail lines at different points in Dhaka including Mohakhali and Agargaon this morning, causing immense sufferings to the commuters.
Dhaka’s rail communication with the most part of the country was suspended from 9:45am after a group of battery-run rickshaw drivers blocked Mohakhali rail crossing, Khairul Kabir, divisional transport officer (Dhaka Division) of Bangladesh Railway, told The Daily Star at 11:20am.
As of 4:05pm, rail communication to and from Dhaka has been restored.
The drivers started their protests since yesterday after the High Court, on Tuesday, directed government authorities to take necessary measures to stop the plying of battery-run rickshaws and auto-rickshaws in Dhaka within three days.
To protest the decision, over a hundred auto-rickshaw drivers took to Mohakhali road around 9:30am. The demonstration caused severe traffic congestion on both sides of the road, said Rasel Sarwar, officer-in-charge of Banani Police Station.
Simultaneously, other group of drivers blocked Agargaon and Mirpur-10 roads over the same demands.
However, members of the army dispersed the protesting rickshaw drivers from Mirpur-10 and Agargaon. Two protesters were detained from Mirpur-10, reports our staff correspondents from the spots.
As of 12:15pm, when this report was filed, the Mirpur-10 intersection remains clear.
People were seen urging others to avoid these two routes, posting photos and warnings on social media, especially Facebook.
Traffic disruptions are expected to persist unless the protests are resolved, according to traffic police.
Yesterday, the rickshaws drivers blocked roads in the Agargaon and Jatrabari areas for hours yesterday, demanding government intervention in rehabilitating them before banning their vehicles in the capital.