Dhaka: Battery-powered and electric rickshaws will soon be banned from operating on Dhaka's main roads, as announced by Mir Shahe Alam, the State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development (LGRD), and Co-operatives. However, registered e-rickshaws carrying up to four passengers will still be permitted on internal roads. The announcement follows a meeting between Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Mohd Shuhada Othman and LGRD and Co-operatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the minister revealed that the policy governing auto-rickshaws is nearing completion and will soon be submitted to the Ministry of Law for vetting. "Once it comes back after vetting, we will issue it within a week or the following week, as quickly as possible," Shahe Alam stated. This policy aims to bring battery-powered and e-rickshaws under a regulatory framework.
The proposed policy mandates certification from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), engineering universities, and the automobile departments of government polytechnic institutes at the district level for e-rickshaw registration. A traffic department fitness certificate will also be a prerequisite for registration. Registration will be managed by city corporations and municipalities.
Additionally, the policy will outline provisions for e-rickshaw charging points. The government plans to introduce solar-powered charging facilities and eventually make solar charging mandatory. Charging points will need licenses from the relevant city corporation or municipality based on location.
Shahe Alam noted that e-rickshaws are being manufactured indiscriminately without specific data on the number of factories. The proposed policy aims to regulate manufacturers, requiring factories to adhere to designs certified by BUET or engineering universities, and to obtain licenses from city corporations or municipalities.
The policy also suggests dividing Dhaka into eight zones, four in the north and four in the south, based on a traffic department proposal. Each zone will have a unique color code, and e-rickshaws will be restricted to operate within their registered zones. Geofencing technology will be introduced to enforce these boundaries.
E-rickshaws will not be allowed on major roads but will operate on designated internal roads within zones. The policy will categorize e-rickshaws into three types, with a passenger capacity of two or four in Dhaka. Six-passenger e-rickshaws will not be part of the registration system in the city, although they will be eligible for registration in rural areas and district towns.