Rickshaw is the most preferable mode for people including children, women and person with disability. Even then this mode of transport has been treated as problem. Many people work in the rickshaw industry but they are deprives from their rights. Banning rickshaws will not only cause problems in the daily trips of people but also a large number of people will become unemployed. This is clear violation of human rights. Besides it will increase dependency upon motorized vehicle and will cause more congestion and pollution. Discussants said such in discussion meeting on ’Rickshaw Industry: A Humanitarian Perspective’ on 8th January 2018 organized by Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust and Institute of Wellbeing.

Speakers of the program said that, rickshaw provides door to door service. Mega projects focusing private cars and ignoring rickshaws will not be able to solve our urban transportation problem. Rickshaw industry should be brought under proper management so that government earns revenue from it. The earnings of rickshaw puller help to develop rural economy as they send their earnings to families living in there. An integrated transport system should be created including rickshaw.

Keynote speaker of the event was Anthropologist and student of Aberdeen University Annemiek Prins. Discussants of the program were International Transport Expert Dr Mahbubul Bari; Architect Salma A Shafi,  General Secretary of Socialist Labour Front Rajekuzzaman Ratan, General Secretary of Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) Adil Muhammad Khan and Acting Executive Director of Institute of Wellbeing Debra Efroymson.

The discussion meeting was presided over Director of Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust Gaous Pearee and moderated by Program Manager Maruf Hossain. Besides Ward Councilor of 45 ward of Dhaka South City Corporation Abdul Qader, Joint Secretary of Rickshaw Labour League MD Rezaul Karim, Executive Director of Bachte Shikho Nari Afroza Begum and representatives of rickshaw pullers.