Delhi HC unhappy over e-rickshaws

The Delhi High Court Wednesday expressed strong displeasure over the uncontrolled plying of e-rickshaws in the capital, and asked the city government to make sure these unregulated vehicles are kept off the streets.

A division bench of Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Siddharth Mridul said the court will not permit unregulated transport to ply uncontrolled without licence, registration and insurance.

The court's observations came after perusing an affidavit filed by the Delhi government that said no separate policy was required for governing e-rickshaws as they are already covered by the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act and their operation as per the law was unauthorised and illegal.

The bench asked how e-rickshaws were being allowed to ply on the city roads if they were not complying with the rules and regulations as admitted by the authorities.

The Delhi government, in its affidavit, said it stopped taking action against e-rickshaws after Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that laws pertaining to such vehicles will be changed to take them out of the ambit of the MV Act.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government's counsel Zubeda Begum said the ministry of road transport and highways was looking into the issue of regulating e-rickshaws.

The court directed the Delhi government to come with all answers July 31.