Delhi traffic police to come down heavily on all e-rickshaws plying on roads without valid documents
NEW DELHI: It seems that Delhi Metro’s plan to bridge the gap between your home and the nearest Metro station with the help of the city's newest mode of public transport— e-rickshaws — will not see the light of the day.
Less than a week after the government stopped the sale of battery-operated rickshaws or e-rickshaws in the Capital, they are now all set to go off roads. The transport department has decided to initiate an intensive drive against them.
The Delhi traffic police decided to come down heavily on all e-rickshaws plying on city roads on Monday. “We are starting a drive to prosecute e-rickshaws that violate the motor vehicle act. Any such rickshaws found without valid documents will be impounded and sent to court,” said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic). The police will start the drive from central Delhi, Garg added.
The transport department had recently defined e-rickshaws as motorised vehicles as their motor has more than 250 watt of power and its maximum speed is higher than 25kmph.
As per the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, any vehicle is deemed to be a motor vehicle if its maximum speed is more than 25kmph and the power of the motor exceeds 250 watt.
Based on these norms, the operation of battery-operated rickshaws has been made illegal as these violate the motor vehicles act, 1988, transport department sources said.
“Most of these rickshaws are plying without valid registrations, type approvals from a specified testing agency, permits and fitness certificates,” said a transport department official.
Looking at the rising popularity of e-rickshaws among Metro commuters, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had recently decided to introduce e-rickshaws as its feeder service as part of its plan to boost lastmile connectivity, said DMRC officials.
The agency had also invited Expression of Interest (EOI) for starting eco-friendly e-rickshaws from its Chattarpur Metro station as a pilot project and was working out a feasibility study to finalise the stations where the feeder e-rickshaw service would be started.
It is such a shame, that a city, which adds 1300+ motorized vehicles, including 700+ private vehicles per day on its roads, wants to remove a handful of non-polluting, easily available modes of public transport.
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