Registration for e-rickshaws begins in Amritsar

Amritsar, March 12

For the first time after the introduction of e-rickshaws, the government has initiated the task of issuing identification numbers to them.

Officials of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) said the e-rickshaws would be eligible to get their registration number after paying the requisite tax.

Cops at the newly allotted Traffic Police Lines are allotting identification numbers and its officials have engaged professionals who are installing number plates charging Rs 60 per vehicle. The traffic police are also collecting mobile numbers and copies of Aadhaar cards of the e-rickshaw operators.

To avoid traffic bottlenecks on the road, e-rickshaws have been parked in a queue which spans half a kilometre at any given time of the day. Serpentine queues can be seen stretching up to Hukam Singh road overbridge.

It has been a long standing demand of the city residents to install some kind of identification on e-rickshaws with the surge in their numbers on the roads. They apprehend that it would be difficult for the law enforcing agencies to proceed against them legally in case of any violation of rules. Several accidents occurred with people on the road due to the negligent driving of e-rickshaws while tourists were fleeced.

Arashdeep Singh Lobana, Regional Transport Officer, said the move would provide an option to traffic police to rein in e-rickshaws that violate law. Those who pay fee would be issued registration.