The Delhi Transport Department Delhi has listed 236 arterial stretches across the Capital that will remain off-limits for battery-operated e-rickshaw vehicles.
“We have banned their movement where it is necessary in the interest of public safety and the convenience of the general public due to several reasons ranging from demand and their possible contribution to congestion,” said an official.
A majority of the locations where e-rickshaws have been prohibited are VIP enclaves of New Delhi and South Delhi in addition to areas adjacent the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.
An announcement to this effect was made by the Transport Department through a notification issued under Section 115 of the MV Act. While the section imposes restrictions on their movement, it simultaneously allows them to legally ply in a few selected pockets ‘subject to exceptions and conditions’.
According to a source, restrictions on certain routes were also decided on the basis of several complaints of alleged power theft by the owners and operators of the said battery-operated vehicles about which the Department had been informed.
An operational ban on e-rickshaws has emerged as a major political issue for the coming Assembly polls with both the AAP and the BJP having declared their solidarity with e-rickshaw drivers and urging the Government to come up with a law at the earliest for the sake of the livelihoods of the drivers and their families.
