In what may go a long way in containing vehicular pollution in Ranchi, the transport department's district wing on Wednesday took the first major step to legalise 70-odd battery-run three-wheelers - popularly known as e-rickshaws or tuk-tuks - and also granted them stopgap road permit till formal registration is completed.
District transport officer Nagendra Paswan said they had held their first meeting with e-rickshaw operators and were ready to begin the registration process.
"The Centre, through a special ordinance recently, has allowed registration of e-rickshaws under the Motor Vehicles Act. We received a communiqué in this regard yesterday (Tuesday) and have, thus, formally begun the process," Paswan told The Telegraph over phone.
In December last year, a Bill to regularise e-rickshaws was passed by the Lok Sabha, but not cleared by the Rajya Sabha. Thereafter, the Centre promulgated a special ordinance to extend relief to tuk-tuk operators, making registrations mandatory.
Incidentally, last June, the state transport department had banned the fleet of eco-friendly rides, branding them illegal in the absence of registration. What followed then was a series of protests by e-rickshaw operators, which earned them kind of an unofficial nod to ply on Main Road.
But, the provisional arrangement led to permanent chaos. Operators accused traffic constables of harassing them every now and then for money because they had no legal right to ply in Ranchi. Passengers bore the brunt, being stranded often when some constable sparked a row; and this led to fewer riders by the day.
With the administration taking a definite decision at Wednesday's meeting, the status of e-rickshaws are likely to improve in the state capital and the common commuter, currently caught between unreliable and rogue modes of transport, will be benefited the most.
There is a catch though.
The road to registration of these tuk-tuks will not be quick and easy. Paswan said they would have to give shape to a new system to register the 70-odd vehicles and more that hit road now on.
"The chassis number is a must for registration of vehicles under the law. These e-rickshaws have none. Insurance again is a prerequisite. But, the operators say all they have received from the vendor is an invoice of purchase. They say companies don't insure e-rickshaws because they have no engines. So, a separate system has to evolve to register them," the district transport officer explained.
Paswan added that he would write to the state transport mandarins, seeking guidance on how to go about the registration process. "The operators will also need light commercial vehicle licence. The transport department will advise us on the same."
Sudhir Kumar, an e-rickshaw operator who took part in Wednesday's meeting, said the district authorities had promised to get all formalities out of the way in a week's time.
"We are also happy that we have received formal permission to ply on Main Road from today. There are a few riders like vehicles should not indulge in overloading or unauthorised parking, but those are fine. On the road, one must always follow the rules," he said.
Are you happy to have the e-rickshaws back in Ranchi?
Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com
