With the aim of reducing air pollution and promoting eco-friendly modes of transport, Chandigarh administration has come up with e-rikshaw policy. The city will soon get to see 1000 more e-rikshaws running on the roads of Chandigarh. The UT administration has initially decided to issue only 1000 licenses for these battery operated vehicles. The licensing work for these e-rikshaws will be taken over by State Transport Authority (STA).

It is a great move by the administration as the city is currently experiencing traffic jams at peak hours of the day. Also, the increasing number of vehicles in the city adds to the increasing pollution levels in the city. The step taken by the UT administration will not only reduce the air pollution levels of the city but will also result in less diesel and petrol consumption.

At present, a total of 300 e-rikshaws are running on the roads of Punjab University, Rock Garden, and Sukhna Lake. Now, to avoid the traffic the administration is planning to allow the entry of e-rikshaws throughout the city restricting only a few spots.

 No E-Rikshaws on V-1, V-2 & V-7 roads

The battery operated vehicles which were earlier limited to operate only at Rock Garden, Punjab University and Sukhna Lake will now be plying on almost all the roads of Chandigarh. The e-rikshaws will not be permitted to operate on  V-1, V-2, and V-7 roads.

V-1 roads are the stretches from Zirakpur to Tribune Chowk, Transport Chowk in Sector 26 to Sector 47 and Transport Chowk to Manimajra,  National Highways like Madhya Marg and Dakshin Marg comprise V-2 roads and V-7 roads include Pedestrian paths and cycle tracks.

Rules to be followed

• The vehicle must be equipped with first aid box and fire extinguisher.
• A grey Uniform has been made compulsory for all the e-rikshaw drivers.
• The helpline number 1073 of traffic police should be displayed on the vehicle.
• The vehicle should bear the name, address and telephone number of the permit holder.
• The owners of the vehicles will be required to dispose of the used batteries only through an authorized e-waste disposal agency.
• For any traffic offenses, the battery operated vehicles will be liable for penalty under Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 and Chandigarh Motor Vehicle Rules, 1990.

E-Rickshaws – Friends with your Pocket

E-Rickshaws are proving to be a good-good in every sense. Along with, being eco-friendly these vehicles will fit perfectly in your pockets. The fare for the E-rickshaws is yet to be decided but it will cost you way lesser than that is being charged by auto-rickshaws.

These vehicles are exempted from value-added tax (VAT) and road tax for registration by the UT administration. The vehicles should have a type-approval certificate from the designated testing agencies as prescribed by the Union ministry of road transport and highways.

In order to keep the availability of the rickshaws up to demand the STA would closely watch and regulate the number of vehicles to be registered.