Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Administrator Safiqul Islam Khan has alleged that a senior political leader advocating for auto-rickshaw drivers' demands owns 700 auto-rickshaws himself.
Speaking Friday during a July-themed artwork program along metro rail pillars in Mirpur, Safiqul made an apparent reference to Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar recently urged the government to accept the drivers' demands.
"That is a ridiculous statement. An inquiry reportedly found that the leader owns 700 auto-rickshaws. People cannot keep getting away with changing their stance" Safiqul said also alleging political elements orchestrated recent demonstrations under the guise of an auto-rickshaw movement.
Safiqul also accused political actors of instigating pavement hawkers following a city clearance drive in Mirpur on September 30. That operation turned violent when an excavator accidentally severed an power line, triggering clashes where hawkers vandalized vehicles and torched three garbage trucks and injured several police officers and journalists.
"We have formed monitoring teams checking cleared footpaths every morning and evening. We will free footpaths across all of Dhaka from illegal occupation" Safiqul stated also warning that any renewed attempts to reoccupy public spaces would be strongly resisted.
