Court gives suggestions to Centre, Delhi Govt to regulate movement of e-rickshaws on roads

New Delhi [India], February 18 : A Delhi court has given some suggestions to the Central as well as Delhi Government to regulate the movement of e-rickshaws on the roads of the National Capital. These suggestions include creating a separate slow-moving lane, providing permits to them and ensuring the subsidy should not be released till the permanent driving licence is granted to e-rickshaw drivers.
Court gave these suggestions while hearing a case of a woman Paramjit Kaur who met with an accident while travelling in an e-rickshaw in Shahbad Dairy of Delhi. The victim, in this case, is only 37 years of age and she has lost vision of her eye as a result of such an accident and three other passengers suffered minor injuries.
Presiding Officer of Motor Accident Claim Tribunal (MACT) Ekta Gauba on Thursday gave certain suggestions to the Centre and State. She requested the Union Ministry of Road and Transport and Highways to create separate slow-moving lanes for a two-wheeler, three-wheelers and e-rickshaws on the main heavy traffic roads so as to prevent the risk of accidents on the roads.
The Court further requested the Ministry of Transport, Delhi Government to ensure that that subsidy for purchase of e-rickshaw should not be released till driving licence of the driver of e-rickshaw is made permanent. Also, request to provide the permit to e-rickshaws for those roads only which are having low traffic and which are service roads and not for those roads which are having a speed of 40 KMPH or more as the maximum speed of e- rickshaw is 25 KMPH.
The Court also requested the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to direct the traffic police to perform their duty efficiently and to keep a check on the violation of traffic rules and to check the non-availability of required documents of drivers of every motor vehicle including e-rickshaw.
The Court lastly requested for making the law in the fact that if the insurance policy of any motor vehicle has expired then the traffic police could be authorised by law to issue notice to the said owner of the vehicle including e-rickshaw.
The Investigating Officer stated that most of the e-rickshaw drivers are only having learner driving licence and not a permanent licence and as a result, they are causing chaos on the roads.
The petitioner has alleged that generally due to rash driving of the e-rickshaw drivers, there is an increase in the accidents on the roads and the public at large is suffering serious injuries/death.
She verbally requested the court that something should be done to prevent such type of accidents as her entire life and her earnings is affected due to the said accident.
The court was informed by the RTO that the permit for the area of e-rickshaw is not required from the year 2018. It was also stated that there is a tie-up between all the insurance companies and the RTOs in Delhi as well as the traffic police and if the insurance policy of any motor vehicle lapses/expires then RTO as well as traffic police immediately comes to know the same.
The Court observed, "I would state that every victim of the motor accident should be adequately compensated."
The Court has ordered to send the copy of the order to the concerned ministries. The matter has been listed for hearing on 4 May 2022.