The city-dwellers get a whiff of fresh air as a special New Year gift when two-stroke autorickshaws get off the roads from today after 47 years of operation.

The government has taken adequate preparations to implement the decision. The Traffic Department of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will deploy 66 mobile and stationary units of policemen to ensure that none of the remaining 6,575 two-stroke polluters can ply streets.

The decision to finally ban the polluters was the outcome of a long-drawn campaign by the media, protest from the general public and environmentalists. And finally a High Court ruling hit the last nail into the two-stroke coffin.

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In 1995, the Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association (BELA) and the Bangladesh Legal Aid Services Trust (BLAST) filed a public interest litigation with the High Court for establishing citizens' rights to breathe fresh air.

In 1996, the Awami League (AL) government also took an initiative to ban the polluters. The Autorickshaw Owners and Drivers Association had a two-month talks with the government regarding the ban. And finally, the government backed out from its decision despite getting popular support for the move.

Later, the AL government increased duty on spares of two-stroke vehicles by 200 per cent. But the whole exercise turned futile when the government allowed

import of a huge number of polluters through one of the state-owned banks.

Later, following a writ by BELA and the BLAST, the High Court passed an order on March 27, 2002, which included eight directives to the different departments of the government. Banning the polluters was one of them.

Following the High Court order, the government banned 12,500 two-stroke three-wheelers in the first phase on September 1. Only 6,575 polluters were allowed to ply the city roads till December 31.

According to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), the auto-rickshaws popularly known as 'baby taxi' were first introduced in the city in 1955 and in 1978, auto-tempos came. In 1955, only 25 auto-

rickshaws were launched.

Meantime, with the ban in effect from today, owners were seen shipping their vehicles to small towns.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) will deploy some alternative vehicles in the city streets to reduce the sufferings of the commuters because of the ban. The BRTC will introduce some 200 human haulers, 500 CNG-run autorickshaws, 50 taxicabs, and 500 Chinese four-stroke three-wheelers this month.

Besides, some private organisations will also deploy some vehicles. Nitol Motors will deploy 800 four-stroke auto-rickshaws this month. Uttara Motors has been permitted to import 4,000 CNG-run autorickshaws from India.