Soon, state to have environment friendly e-rickshaws on road

Soon most parts of Maharashtra will have environment friendly e-rickshaws on road. The home department on Friday issued a notification allowing the issue of licenses to e-rickshaw operators in areas that are outside the jurisdiction of the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Transport Authority (MMRTA), which is beyond Mumbai and MMR region.

As per the notification, the department had earlier decided to restrict these rickshaws to five districts-- Latur, Amravati, Buldhana, Akola and Nagpur. However, the decision has now been revised, and the government has decided to extend permission for these e-rickshaws-which are battery operated three wheeler vehicles-to most parts of the state.

Sources said that the department has made a list of criterion, which a person applying for an e-rickshaw license will have follow, and the license will only be issued on compliance will all the rules.

"The idea of allowing e-rickshaws is to control pollution and to give citizens a cleaner transportation option. The drivers should know the local language and also have a basic idea of the area where they will be plying," says the notification.

The notification also claims that the state is considering demarcating certain areas or lanes on the road for these rickshaws to ply. Other major rules like giving the name and number of the driver in the vehicle, having an electronic meter, not allowing more than permitted number of passengers to sit in the rickshaw, and also not plying with anyone sitting beside the driver are some of the basic rules set by the department.