E-rickshaws no longer need permits -Governance Now

E-rickshaws no longer need permits

State governments can, however, restrict the movement of e-rickshaws in specific areas or specific roads

GN Bureau | August 31, 2016

#e rickshaw #Delhi transport #Motor Vehicles Act #Stand Up India

The ministry of road transport and highways issued a gazette notification on Wednesday that serves to free e-rickshaws and e-carts from permit requirements.

According to the notification, the provisions of the sub-section (1) of section 66 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 will not apply to e-carts and e-rickshaws (as defined in section 2A of the said Act) that are used for carrying goods or passengers with personal luggage, as per a press note.

This means that vehicles that are registered as e-carts or e-rickshaws will not require any permits.

State governments can, however, impose restrictions under appropriate traffic laws on plying of these vehicles in specific areas or specific roads.

Read: The capital cart: Travails of e-rickshaw drivers

Initially e-rickshaws were not regulated by law. In March 2015, the parliament passed an amendment to the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2015 legalising e-rickshaws.

In April 2016, prime minister Narendra Modi launched the Stand Up India scheme which facilitates bank loans between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and women borrowers setting up greenfield enterprises in the non-farm sector. As part of the launch event in Noida, Modi also distributed 5,100 e-rickshaws under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana that refinances loans of up to Rs 10 lakh given by lending institutions to small borrowers for non-farm income-generating activities.

E-rickshaws are now quite popular in many cities. Exact figures are not readily available. According to an estimate, there are around 1,00,000 e-rickshaws in Delhi alone.

Read: THE MOTOR VEHICLES (AMENDMENT) ORDINANCE, 2015

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