Govt notifies ‘sample test’ norms for e-rickshaws

NEW DELHI: Coming to the rescue of e-rickshaw owners in Delhi and across the country, the road transport ministry on Monday notified norms for registration of such vehicles based on “sample testing” of each e-rickshaw model that was plying before the Supreme Court ban.
Within hours of the scheme being notified, road safety activists said they would challenge it in the Supreme Court because the norms would put “unsafe” vehicles on the road.
TOI had on Monday given details of the new rule, which comes into effect immediately. Once a sample vehicle clears the tests, all e-rickshaws of that particular model would become eligible for registration. The registered body of e-rickshaw manufacturers will submit a list of certified models to state transport departments by November 30 and later provide a sample of each model for testing.
The testing of sample e-rickshaws would take place at a government-approved facility. The standards and testing norms will be same for both existing and new e-rickshaws. Ministry sources said they had come out with the best possible norm and mechanism.
But those fighting for safety of commuters are up in arms against the provisions. “This mechanism would in effect give legal sanction to unsafe e-rickshaws because there’s no standardization in these vehicles,” said S P Singh of IFTRT, a think tank on transport issues. “Ironically, this comes only two days after the ministry came out with the draft road transport and safety bill to bring in world class vehicle safety and road traffic management systems.”
Giving an illustration of how rules should have been followed, Singh said that a leading manufacturer of four-wheeled quadrilateral vehicles wanted to bring its vehicle to India as a rickshaw, but was not certified by the testing agency as there was no such description under the CMVR.
“That company waited till the time provisions were incorporated in the Central Motor Vehicle Rules. It did not use the absence of legislation to to bypass the law and sell its four-wheel vehicles. How could all e-rickshaw manufacturers, despite public warnings issued by the administration, avoided taking quality certification of road worthiness of their proto-type? Instead, they kept selling their vehicles in the market causing a grave danger to public safety?” Singh said.