The eco-friendly battery-driven rickshaws, introduced in New Delhi during the 2010 Commonwealth Games, are here to stay. Almost four years after they were introduced in the capital, they have finally been legalised by the Indian government. The decision was announced by Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari at a rally organised by the e-rickshaw union in New Delhi on June 17.
With battery power up to 250 MW and a speed less than 25 km per hour, these rickshaws were classified under non-motorised vehicles and, therefore, drivers did not require driving licence for these rickshaws earlier. An amendment made in the Motor Vehicles Act in April 2014 had rendered them illegal. However, with the decision to legalise them, the drivers will be issued identity cards by local governing bodies like the Municipal Corporation. These rickshaws will be allowed to carry four passengers at a time along with 25-50 Kg luggage, said Gadkari.
So next time you are in Delhi, enjoy a clean and cheap ride on the e-rickshaws, which are becoming increasingly popular for short distance travel in this vehicles-clogged city. While New Delhi’s 190-km long metro route, 6000 buses and 100,000 auto-rickshaws provide connectivity to far-flung places, the e-rickshaws will help in connecting bus-stops and metro stations to nearby localities.
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