three-wheeled battery-powered auto-rickshaws across the country, including in city corporations and urban areas, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives State Minister Mir Shahe Alam said today.

If implemented effectively, the proposed policy would help control traffic congestion, bring discipline to road movement and improve road safety, he said.

He made the remarks at a meeting at the Local Government Division's conference room at the Secretariat, where officials and stakeholders discussed the overall management, operation, registration and regulation of auto-rickshaws.

The meeting, chaired by the state minister, reviewed progress on decisions taken at previous meetings and considered several recommendations on auto-rickshaw management and control.

The discussions covered urban traffic management, road discipline, fitness testing and certification, garage and charging-station management, and the use of renewable energy.

“People must not be subjected to any kind of suffering,” Mir Shahe Alam said.

Under the proposed policy, a systematic licensing and registration system through local government authorities would help bring discipline to auto-rickshaw operations and generate revenue for the government, the state minister said.

He said fitness testing, charging facilities and other technical aspects of battery-powered auto-rickshaws would be brought under a structured regulatory framework. Existing auto-rickshaws would be required to undergo fitness tests and obtain certification.

Mir Shahe Alam said the draft regulations on auto-rickshaw management would be sent to the law ministry for vetting. He expressed hope that the regulations and other necessary measures would be completed as soon as possible.

BUET Mechanical Engineering Professor Dr Mohammad Ehsan and Civil Engineering Professor Dr Md Hadiuzzaman provided expert opinions at the meeting.

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Administrator Abdus Salam, Local Government Division Secretary Shahidul Hasan, Dhaka North City Corporation CEO Muhammad Asaduzzaman, DSCC CEO Khaybar Rahman and Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Md Anisur Rahman were among those present.