Commuters struggle to find last-mile connectivity

‘There is no connectivity in our area. Moreover, these e-rickshaws are cost effective. The government should come up with an alternative before banning them,’ said Ritesh Kumar, a regular commuter at Civil Line area in North Delhi. The e-rickshaws are more economical when compared to auto-rickshaws and make commutation a faster process than manual rickshaws.

Delhi Transport department had, earlier decided to crackdown on battery-powered rickshaws operating in the city for violating the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act. ‘E-rickshaws are prone to accidents and operate without any statutory clearance’, said a transport department official. The department had also mulled action against the manufacturers and dealers of such rickshaws under relevant laws.

Meanwhile, lakhs of e-rick drivers have, overnight become jobless. ‘This sudden crackdown has ended everything. What will we do now? How will we feed our family,’ said Jaibhawan Goyal, coordinator of e-rickshaw drivers’ association.

He further said that the association will stage a dharna on Saturday at Jantar Mantar. ‘We will also submit a memorandum to L-G and chief justice of Delhi High Court’, he added.