E-Rickshaws Now On Road Licences ‘within a month’

The Delhi High Court had banned e-rickshaws from plying on July 31 citing safety concerns.Post the order, the matter became the stage for a political showdown between the BJP and the AAP, with both parties vying for the loyalty of the drivers. The AAP alleged that despite the BJP’s poll promises, “very little has been done to bring e-rickshaw drivers back to the streets”.In a notification dated October 8, the Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways made the amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rule (1989) to accommodate e-rickshaws and address concerns of the court.The e-rickshaws are mandated to carry four persons excluding the driver. Also, it cannot carry luggage of not more than 40 kg as the power of its motor does not exceeding 2000 watt and the maximum speed of the vehicle limited to 25 km per hour.Drivers will need a commercial licence to drive the e-rickshaw. But the poor, who are likely to drive these vehicles, do not have a private license, let alone a commercial one, ministry officials said.