Delhi govt at work to solve e-rickshaw muddle, assures Jung

New regulations may be drafted by month-end, say officials

The city government and the municipal corporations are working quicker to regularise the e-rickshaws.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung said that it is the responsibility of the city government to regularise e-rickshaws and the government has admitted this in the affidavit filed with the Delhi High Court.

“There are three issues with regularisation of e-rickshaws. The first is who will give them licences? The second is who will regulate them and the third is who will do the registration and other necessary formalities?” Jung had said on Friday.

To complete the process of regulation of e-rickshaws soon, Jung said the government will also open the licence departments for an extra three or four  hours.

“If there are one lakh people, then it is impossible to give then licences in one day. We have given an assurance in the court that the licensing offices will work overtime to complete the process as soon as possible,” he added.

Senior Delhi government officials said the entire regulation process for e-rickshaws – which is facing hurdles due to multiplicity of authorities – is likely to be completed by the end of this month and the government will be ready to file an affidavit in the Delhi High Court with details of regulations.

“The municipal corporations of Delhi are saying that they are ready to regulate the e-rickshaws. The problem with the court’s proceeding is that the e-rickshaws are not defined under the Motor Vehicle Act, as at present there are no such rules. I guess the Centre is preparing a draft of rules for this,” he added.

The e-rickshaws were banned by Delhi High Court last month following an accident in which a two-year-old child died after being hit by one of them in east Delhi’s Trilokpuri area.

The child was being carried by her mother Pinki when a speeding e-rickshaw hit them from behind. He slipped and fell in a pot of boiling sugar syrup.

He succumbed to the injuries two hours later in the hospital. On Thursday, the Delhi High Court continued the ban on e-rickshaws till the next hearing on August 28.