HC imposes ban on import of battery-run easy bikes, orders them to be removed from roads

The High Court on Wednesday imposed a ban on the import of battery-run easy bikes and asked the authorities concerned to remove existing ones from the roads immediately.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and agencies concerned are directed to execute the orders made by a bench of Justice Mamnoon Rahman and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman.

The court also issued a rule asking why the government's silence in this regard would not be illegal. Secretaries for industries, road transport and bridges, and climate change, the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, the BRTA, the National Board of Revenue, and the inspector general of police were asked to reply to the rule within four weeks.

The court made the move in response to a writ petition filed on 13 December by Kazi Zashimul Islam, president of BAAGH Eco Motors.

Plaintiff lawyer Atiq Towhidul Islam, and state prosecutor Deputy Attorney General Amit Das Gupta, were present in court.

"The country has 40 lakh easy bikes running on electric charge illegally," Atiq told reporters, adding that these were imported from China without any permission from the BRTA.

The government is also losing a huge amount of revenue as it does not get money from battery-run three-wheelers, he said.

The court also urged the revenue board and the industries ministry to allow Zashimul to produce  solar easy bikes, the lawyer added, noting that the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority or BIDA, had already approved the proposal.