Friday, 29 December 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Transport department will soon hold a meeting with auto rickshaw unions which are apprehensive about replacing electric rickshaws with auto rickshaws. The department had decided to prohibit the new registration of e-rickshaws in Dehradun, Rishikesh, Vikasnagar, Haridwar and Roorkee in the recent meeting of the Regional Transport Authority of Dehradun division.
The department has proposed that the e-rickshaws will be replaced by clean-fuelled auto rickshaws to strengthen the local public transport which will help in connecting internal areas of the city and semi urban areas to the main roads. According to the officials, the uncontrolled operation of electric rickshaws in Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Roorkee and Vikasnagar areas is causing severe traffic issues. Many e-rickshaws have also been running on highways and main roads against the rules putting the safety of passengers as well as others on roads at risk.
Considering this, the RTA chairman Vinay Shankar Pandey banned the new registrations of e-rickshaws and decided to replace them gradually with auto rickshaws. However, he had to hold the decision after the members of auto rickshaw unions present in the meeting disagreed with this decision. Pandey then directed the officials concerned to discuss the issue with the union members to ensure the department can go ahead with the plan.
According to the auto rickshaw unions, there are already plenty of auto rickshaws in these areas, especially in Dehradun and it will cause chaos on routes if all e-rickshaws are replaced by auto rickshaws in the near future. However, the RTA officials stated that there are about 10,000 e-rickshaws currently operating in the said five areas and the department is working on continuing their operation till their registered date. They said that they will soon conduct a meeting with auto rickshaw unions to discuss the matter and will take a decision accordingly.
