Battery-powered rickshaws will be brought under a registration system, and their batteries must be charged using solar power to qualify for registration, State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam has said.
He said rickshaws charged using electricity from sources other than solar power will not be registered or have their registration renewed.
The state minister made the remarks at a review meeting on the use of solar power in departments, organisations and institutions under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives at the Local Government Division on Monday morning.
The meeting reviewed the expansion of solar power use in government offices and institutions, the efficient use of renewable energy and measures to reduce electricity consumption.
Registration and fitness requirements
Shahe Alam said city corporations and municipalities would be responsible for registering battery-powered rickshaws instead of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).
“We have held meetings to formulate the rules and are now working on them. Battery-powered rickshaws will be brought under the registration system of city corporations and municipalities under the Local Government Ministry, with certain conditions,” he said.
“If these battery-powered or e-rickshaws are charged using electricity from sources other than solar power, we will neither register nor renew their registration,” he added.
He said registration and renewal would also require fitness certificates issued by designated technical institutions, including Buet's relevant automobile department and diploma-level technical institutes at the district level.
“These institutions will charge a fee for issuing fitness certificates. We will determine the registration and renewal fees, as well as the fee for the fitness certificates,” the state minister said.
He added that e-rickshaw owners would have to submit a new fitness certificate each year when renewing their registration.
Eight zones in Dhaka
Shahe Alam said Dhaka would be divided into eight zones to regulate the movement of e-rickshaws more effectively, with four zones each under the Dhaka North and South city corporations.
“These eight zones will have different-coloured e-rickshaws. An e-rickshaw from one zone will not be allowed to operate in another zone,” he said.
The state minister said the system would be enforced through geofencing.
“Traffic police and city corporations have already held a meeting on the matter. We are working on the rules and will provide details once they are approved,” he said.
He added that city corporations and traffic police would jointly take urgent steps to implement the system.
“The rules will specify which routes e-rickshaws can and cannot use. They will also include provisions for fines if the vehicles are charged using electricity from sources other than solar power,” Shahe Alam said.
“We are working on a comprehensive set of rules covering all these issues and expect to submit it next week,” he added.