Auto-rickshaw drivers in Chapainawabganj demonstrated on Sunday, surrounding the Rural Electrification Cooperative office to protest the decision to convert their electricity bills from residential to commercial rates. The protest was suspended after assurances from the General Manager of the Cooperative. Law enforcement personnel, including police and Ansar members, were deployed to maintain order.
Around two hundred auto-rickshaw drivers from Hayat Mor, Debinagar, Shajahanpur, Sundarpur, Charbaghdanga, and Islampur areas of Sadar Upazila participated in the protest in front of the Chapainawabganj Rural Electrification Cooperative office.
Protesters stated that they had long been paying electricity bills at the residential rate, but the sudden shift to commercial billing has nearly doubled their costs. They said the additional financial burden was unbearable, as their modest earnings from driving autos were already insufficient to meet household expenses. The drivers demanded that billing return to the residential rate.
Sohel Rana, Asim, and Babu, three auto-rickshaw drivers at the protest, said, “With such high bills, it is impossible to run our vehicles and support our families. We want the previous system restored.”
Responding to the protest, General Manager of the Chapainawabganj Rural Electrification Cooperative, Hawlader Fazlur Rahman, said, “In line with the ministry’s directive, electricity bills for auto-rickshaw drivers have been converted to commercial rates. They have been given some time, discussions have taken place, and charging stations will be converted in the future.”
Chapainawabganj District Police’s Additional Superintendent (Crime & Ops), Md. Ekramul Haque, confirmed that auto-rickshaw drivers had besieged the office in protest over the higher bills, but added that police later brought the situation under control.