Government looks for safe e-rickshaw design

NEW DELHI: Government will soon come out with a new design e-rickshaw that would be safe mode of transport for last mile connectivity amid increasing demand of the present drivers and owners for relief.

Sources said IIT-Delhi has submitted a detailed design of the vehicle that includes weight and seating capacity, which will now be considered by a committee that has been constituted by the road transport ministry. The committee includes representatives from Delhi government and city traffic police.

"We need to check the vehicle strength and other aspects so that these are safe for passengers. The e-rickshaws presently plying in Delhi are illegal since these have not been categorized as motorized vehicles. We have informed this to Delhi government and it's upto them to address the problem," said a government official.

Meanwhile, on Monday, a group of Delhi's e-rickshaw drivers and former mayor Aarti Mehra met transport minister Nitin Gadkari.

TOI has learnt that the drivers raised the issue of Delhi Traffic Police and transport department officials hauling them up and also challaning them. They have sought some relief from the ministry, which has the authority to notify ant category of motorized vehicle.

But sources said that bringing them under any category is impossible and the necessary notification has been done in April specifying what all does not come under the category of motorized vehicle.

During UPA-II regime, e-rickshaw drivers and owners had also pleaded their case before then road transport minister Oscar Fernandes. Following his direction the committee was set up come out the new standards for battery operated rickshaws.