Ministry asks BRTA to start gradual replacement

FT ONLINE

 

The authorities have directed the road transport agency to start the process of scrapping CNG-run auto-rickshaws from Dhaka and Chittagong whose life has expired, officials said.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges sent Thursday a notice to the chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority with an order to form a committee to oversee the job.

A guideline was also handed over to the BRTA for carrying out the work, they said.

"We've already prepared a guideline and given it to the BRTA to follow in making sure that the life-expired CNG auto-rickshaws are replaced in phases from the streets," said an official.

He said two tentative schedules were given to complete the process in phases so that the impact of one-time withdrawal could be avoided.

The BRTA has refrained from extending the economic life of more than 13,000 auto-rickshaws, which have been on the city streets since 2000.

Though the life of these vehicles ended in 2015, the BRTA extended the validity of the vehicles three times amid protests from owners and drivers.

The last deadline ended in December 2017. These vehicles were imported with a validity of nine years.

The ministry took the decision after an expert committee of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology rejected the plea to extend the life anymore amid demands from the vehicle operators.

The officials said the ministry had now decided to keep the economic life to 15 years in case of other CNG-run vehicles.

They said that the vehicles purchased in 2000 are to be withdrawn from the streets of Chittagong by June and Dhaka by September.

They, however, said the time will be finalised by the planned committee.