Vijayawada: The state government has not yet given permission to move the e-rickshaws on the roads. A file in this regard has been pending with the transport department for the last two years. As per the Motor Vehicle Act, without registration, e-rickshaws, carrying passengers or goods, can’t move on the roads. By conveniently ignoring the Act, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has allowed the e-rickshaws to procure garbage.
In case of any accidents, there will be no insurance coverage for the vehicles or the drivers, or for the third party. The vehicle shall operate on contract carriage permit and should follow certain guidelines. The driver of e-rickshaw must possess a valid licence for driving from the road transport authorities. These e-rickshaws shall ply on the roads of villages, towns, cities and all roads, except on the roads where their plying is prohibited by the respective regional transport authorities from time to time. The number of passengers must not exceed more than the registered seating capacity, excluding the driver and not more than 40 kgs of luggage in total. The vehicle must be insured all the time. The safety standards of e-rickshaw must be followed as notified by the ministry of road transport and highways, Government of India vide notification No. S.O. 2590 (E), of 2014, October 8.
As per the GO MS No. 3 of transport, roads and buildings department issued by principal secretary Sumita Dawra on March 3, it was stated that the transport authority of any one region may grant permit in respect to e-rickshaws to ply as a contract carriage to be valid for an area lying within a radius of not exceeding 20 kilometers from the principal place of business of the registered owner, including the municipalities without counter signature of the regional transport authority or regional transport authorities of the other region or regions in which the said area may partly lie for a period of five years.
As these vehicles are slow-moving ones which ply with a speed of less than 25 kms per hour, their movement is prohibited on National High-ways, State Highways and those routes which are specified as prohibited for these vehicles by the respective RTAs in their jurisdiction. These e-rickshaws have been moving in 16 states, including Telangana, and the AP state government has not taken any decision over allowing the e-rickshaws to move on the roads so far.
