After legalisation, MCD mulls putting cap on number of e-rickshaws

A day after e-rickshaws got a legal right to run on Delhi roads, the municipal corporations said there will be a cap on the number of these battery-run vehicles in each of the zones.

Officials of civic agencies, which will be the regulating the e-rickshaws, said they will do away with the contractor system which is prevalent in the case of cycle rickshaws by giving the ‘token’ (registration) number to the driver himself.

On Tuesday,  Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari announced a set of guidelines for regularisation of the green vehicles at a rally at Ramlila Maidan. The onus of registering the battery-run e-rickshaws fell upon the corporations.

Mayor of North Delhi Municipal Corporation Yogender Chandolia said the civic agency is gearing up to formulate a policy on the process of registering the battery-run rickshaws. 

“There will be a cap on the number of e-rickshaws to be registered,” said Chandolia.Anuj Sharma, General Secretary of Battery Rickshaw Welfare Association said the e-rickshaws will be kept off the heavy vehicle driving roads.

“The battery-run rickshaws won’t ply on the Ring Road and Outer Ring Road. They won’t be allowed to shuttle between the roads banned for such vehicles by traffic police,” said Sharma. E-rickshaws plying on Delhi roads save over Rs 1 crore diesel per day, he added.

Chairman of the Standing Committee of North Corporation Mohan Prasad Bhardwaj asked the commissioner to come up with guidelines to register e-rickshaws within 15 days.

A councillor form Rohini Zone, Devender Solanki, raised the issue in the Standing Committee meeting of north civic agency on Wednesday. “If the corporation will regularise e-rickshaws soon it not only help the commuters but the drivers also to earn their livelihood with respect,” said Solanki.

Leader of the House of South Delhi Municipal Corporation Subhash Arya said there should be colour coding for each zone.

 “Each zone should have a particular colour of e-rickshaws. It will make drivers ply in the areas under their respective zones,” said Arya. “The move will also allow to keep tabs upon those battery-run rickshaws which will be running without registration,” added Ayra. Sharma said there are over 25,000 battery-run rickshaws in the areas under North Corporation and around 60,000 drivers.