The battery-operated rickshaws were first introduced on Delhi’s roads in 2010 ahead of the Commonwealth Games, but it was only after four years that they were accorded legal status by the Government.
In a major policy decision, the Union Transport Ministry on Tuesday allowed the e-rickshaws to operate in the Capital, and also exempted them from prosecution under the Motor Vehicles Act.
This means, the e-rickshaws can no longer be prosecuted for traffic violations. Instead, a detailed policy will be framed for regulation of the battery-operated rickshaws and to ensure that they do not cause chaos on Delhi’s roads.
The decision is being seen as a political masterstroke as the BJP took advantage by offering relief to the rickshaw operators. Its rival Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress had been espousing the issue and demanding that the ban on e-rickshaws be revoked.
The move would bolster BJP’s prospects in the Capital if it goes to re-election later this year. There are an estimated 1.5 lakh e-rickshaw operators and drivers in the Capital and they formed a major vote bank of the AAP in recent elections.
Announcing the decision, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said that e-rickshaws with motor power till 650W would now be considered as non-motorised vehicles and hence they would require no licence to operate.
The decision would benefit over 1.5 lakh e-rickshaw operators in the national Capital whose fate was hanging in the balance in absence of a policy to regulate the battery operated rickshaws.
Addressing a rally of e-rickshaw owners and drivers at Ramlila Maidan, Gadkari said the Government was committed for betterment of the people from the lowest strata of society as he named the scheme after Deen Dayal Upadhyay. “Henceforth, the battery-operated rickshaws in India will be known as Deen Dayal Upadhyay e-rickshaws,” Gadkari said.
The Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had rendered e-rickshaws illegal via a notification issued on April 24 and since then uncertainty loomed large over the fate of its owners and drivers.According to earlier rules, three-wheeler vehicles with motor power less than 250W and speed less than 25kmph were regarded as non-motorised vehicles, but the amendment by recent notification to the Motor Vehicles Act withdrew this exemption.
Gadkari said that the Municipal Corporations in metropolitan cities and municipal councils and smaller cities would frame policy to regularize the e-rickshaws. The policy has to be framed in consultation with the local police so that the violations can be checked through prosecution.The e-rickshaws would be regularised with a fee of just Rs 100. “Owners of e-rickshaws have to get their vehicles registered with MCD with a fee of just Rs 100. After registering e-rickshaw, MCD will have to give identity cards to drivers so that they can easily earn their livlihood,” the Transport Minister said.
The new rule also mandates that owners of the rickshaws will also have to be the driver of the vehicle and it will be ensured that these vehicles are not rented out. The move aims at abolishing the contract system or mafia who procure these vehicles and rent them out to the drivers. To enable the unemployed youth buy e-rickshaws, Gadkari said a loan at 3 per cent interest rate will be provided for which he has written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. He said that with his announcement, around 2 crore people across the country will be benefited.
Gadkari further said that for their vehicle registration, the owners of e-rickshaws do not need to approach the Centre and the State Government and will have to only approach the MCD for getting their vehicles registered on their names. As per new rule, e-rickshaws registered with particular district will not be allowed to enter other districts. Drivers of such vehicle can also ferry luggage up to 50 kg with four persons. In the rally, BJP MPs Meenakshi lekhi, Manoj Tiwari, Ramesh Bidhuri and MCD leaders also participated.