E-rickshaws: Joyride for Customers and Environmentalists Alike
E-rickshaws: Joyride for Customers and Environmentalists Alike
Battery operated rickshaws or e-rickshaws are proving to be a major winner for saving costs and beating pollution. Delhi''s Battery Rickshaw Welfare Association comprises many enterprising manufacturers of battery operated rickshaws. About 100,000 such e-rickshaws exist in the streets of working Delhi, according to a Reuters report.
E-rickshaws were introduced in Delhi in the year 2010. At that point in time, they were operated by unlicensed drivers. The big plus point is that these e-rickshaws are eco-friendly and an extremely cheap way to get across from one corner of Delhi to another. Traditional gas powered auto-rickshaws and cars are extremely costly compared to e-rickshaws.
Another major advantage of e-rickshaws is that they are much more easier to operate than traditional rickshaws or a bicycle taxi. The only problem is that traffic congestion created a lot of problems for e-rickshaw drivers who often get booked for minor offences.
It was the Delhi Transport Department which commenced issuing tickets to e-rickshaw drivers from the month of September in 2013. On March 6 of that year, operators were asked to obtain government sanctions that they met design specifications within a period of 6 months.
Clearances are for ensuring that vehicular design and safety standards are met. This meant spending 300,00 rupees which was not a good idea for drivers, according to Pawan Kakkar, the maker of Chetak e-rickshaws who was quoted by Reuters about this.
When the central road ministry banned e-rickshaws by slotting them with motorized vehicles and imposing restrictions, things came to a standstill for a brief while. At last month's rally, new transport minister Nitin Gadkari reversed the decision made by the Delhi government. The withdrawal of the ban was of great benefit for e-rickshaw drivers.
This e-rickshaws create jobs, cost less and do not harm the environment. Political compulsions are another ball game. If policies yield good results for the common man, it is better not to look at the gift horse in the mouth. But all is not perfectly rosy with respect to e-rickshaws either. A Reuters report cites how people complain the e-rickshaw driver often stuffs more people than the vehicle can accommodate. Several times, drivers can also install batteries for exceeding the authorised motor power of 250 watts.
But on most counts, the e-rickshaw is a boon for Delhi roads. Drivers cannot exceed speeds of 20-25 km per hour, so they are slower and much more secure than auto-rickshaws. Of course, the USP is that they do not emit vehicular pollution. With critics of climate change laughing at a UN report which says GHG emissions must ideally reach the levels they were during the 20th century, what is not obvious to these naysayers is that technology such as e-rickshaws may actually make this a reality instead of just a possibility.
