Monday, May 16, 2016

E-rickshaws okayed for city as fleet - Chandigarh E-Rickshaw

Deepak Yadav
Chandigarh: Times of India, Page 1 16th May 2016

The State Transport Authority (STA) has finally prepared the e-rickshaw policy following a detailed study by Navdeep Asija -a national awardee of excellence, and founder of Dial-aCycle Rickshaw. The policy suggests that e-rickshaws should largely provide connectivity from within the sectors to the main roads. The policy -which is going to be submitted to senior UT officials for implementation -also speaks about a proper system for registration of vehicles and distribution of licences.
As connectivity from sectors to main roads is one of the key points in policy , the focus will be to avoid e-rickshaws in large numbers on main roads.Moreover, experts suggest handing out e-rickshaws as a fleet to entrepreneurs and companies, instead of individuals. Availability of proper recharging stations for e-rickshaws is also one of the crucial elements of the policy .

The policy also speaks of providing proper registration cards (RCs) and licences for these e-rickshaws. The e-rickshaws also need to be technically approved as per the guidelines of the central government. Then, there are issues related to their power capacity and certification. Once the policy is notified, the number of e-rickshaws introduced in the first phase will be decided.As introducing e-rickshaws is one of the prime projects to strengthen the city's transport system, the administration has been working on it for several months. Sources confirmed once the policy is notified, people will get better transport for shorter distances. Asija said: "Chandigarh is an ideal place to introduce e-rickshaws, but it should be introduced as a fleet, and not to individuals, keeping financial viability in mind.There is a need for multi-modal integration of transport, proper connectivity , and backup infrastructure. Some people have the wrong impression that e-rickshaws are a replacement for cycle rickshaws, but the fact is they will replace auto-rickshaws."




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