Battery-powered autorickshaws being banned on main roads of capital

The government is planning to ban the movement of battery-powered and electric autorickshaws on the main roads of the capital. However autorickshaws carrying a maximum of four passengers will be given registration for movement on the internal roads. No e-rickshaw carrying six passengers will come under the registration of the two city corporations of Dhaka.

Malaysia’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Mohammad Suhada Osman met Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Momen Khan at the Secretariat on Sunday (August 30). State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam informed these pieces of information in reply to questions of journalists after the meeting.

The state minister informed that the policy for controlling autorickshaws is almost at the final stage. He said the policy will now be sent to the Ministry of Law for vetting and it will be issued within the next one-two weeks after the vetting is finished. He mentioned that the electric rickshaws will come under control through this policy.

Buet’s certification and fitness mandatory

Certification of the automobile branch of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), engineering university and government polytechnic institutes of the district level is being made mandatory for the registration of e-rickshaws in the policy. Alongside no e-rickshaw will get registration without the fitness certificate of the traffic department. The city corporation and municipality will conduct this registration activity.

The state minister informed that there will also be conditions regarding the charging points of e-rickshaws in the policy. The arrangement of charging through solar electricity will be launched gradually and at one stage it will be made mandatory. The charging points will also have to take licence from their respective city corporation or municipality.

Mentioning that the government does not have any specific account of the e-rickshaw factories that have grown up here and there the state minister informed that the manufacturing institutions will also be brought under control through the policy—the factories will also have to take registered licence to ensure production according to the approved design of Buet or engineering university.

The capital will be divided into eight zones

Highlighting the plan of area-based movement in the capital Mir Shahe Alam said after examining a proposal of the traffic department it has been seen that it is not completely baseless. According to this plan a total of eight zones will be made combining Dhaka North and South City Corporations.

He said, ‘The registered e-rickshaws will remain under the zones and eight separate colours will be fixed for the eight zones. We will try so that the e-rickshaw of one zone cannot go to another zone.’ Which e-rickshaw will run on which route will be determined jointly by the city corporation and the traffic department and there will also be a geo-fencing system in every e-rickshaw.

Informing that there will be no opportunity of the movement of e-rickshaws on the main roads the state minister said however these vehicles will be able to move on the internal roads on a zone basis. In his words, ‘We will not allow e-rickshaws to run on the main road. We will make arrangements for their movement on the internal roads by making eight zones.’ He also commented that creating a separate rickshaw lane on the main road is time-consuming and difficult.

Informing that the passenger carrying capacity of e-rickshaws for registration in Dhaka has been fixed at two and four he said, ‘We will not bring any six-passenger e-rickshaw under the registration of Dhaka City Corporation. We are saying that in the policy.’ However the state minister informed that e-rickshaws of two, four and six passenger carrying capacity will get registration on the rural roads of rural areas and district towns.

As a condition of registration in Dhaka he further said the e-rickshaws must be made according to the certified design of Buet or engineering university—only those fulfilling this condition will come under registration.