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2nd Buriganga Bridge

Three-wheeler drivers block road, protest toll collection

Staff Correspondent
Several hundreds of rickshawvan pullers and auto-rickshaw drivers yesterday staged a two-hour-long demonstration on the second Buriganga Bridge in Keraniganj demanding withdrawal of toll collection from the next fiscal year.
During the demonstration at Kadamtali on southern part of the bridge, vehicular movement came to a halt for two hours from 9:00am causing severe traffic congestion on both ends ofthebridge.
They demanded an end to the toll collection for what they said it increases expenditure of passengers and drivers of such small mode of
FROM PAGE 16 transportations.
As many as 500 demonstrators under the banner of Second Buriganga Bridge Toll Free Sangram Parishad held the protest at about 9:00am, disrupting road communica-tions of Munshiganj, Nawabganj, Dohar and Faridpur with Dhaka.
They also held a meeting at the southern end of the bridge after the demonstration.
President of the Sangram Parishad Afsarul Hasan said they will go for an indefinite strike from May 27 if the toll collection is not stopped.
He said around five lakh residents of Keraniganj have to pay high fares for tneir movement on rickshaws and autorickshaws due to toll collection at the bridge at Keraniganj.
The demonstrators demanded the provision of collecting toll from rickshaw-vans and auto-rickshaws be removed in the up coming tender for taking lease of the bridge scheduled for May 27.
Locals and drivers of autorickshaws and rickshaws took part in the agitation after they talked to local lawmaker Nasrul Hamid Bipu who expressed his solidarity with them.
Amirul Islam, an employee of the leaseholder of the bridge, said the government fixed toll of Tk 6 for a rickshaw and Tk 15 for an auto-rickshaw but due to poor economic condition of the drivers, they realise Tk 2 from a rickshaw and Tk lOfrom an auto-rickshaw.
Last year, locals and drivers in the area staged several demonstrations blocking the bridge and demanded withdrawal of toll collection from such mode of transports but to no avail.
Officer-in-Charge of Dakkhin Keraniganj Police Station Nil Utpal Dey said the demonstration took place peacefully and no untoward incident occurred.