Battery-powered e-rickshaws or autorickshaws will face fines if they are charged using any source of electricity other than solar power.
At the same time, such autorickshaws will not be registered if they are charged with non-solar electricity, while their registration will not be renewed if they do so after registration.
Local Government State Minister Mir Shahe Alam said necessary provisions to this effect are being incorporated into the relevant rules.
He made the remarks while speaking to journalists after a review meeting on the use of solar power by offices, agencies and institutions under the Local Government Division and the Rural Development and Cooperatives Division on Monday.
When asked, the state minister said: “We are bringing battery-powered e-rickshaws under a registration system through city corporations and municipalities under the Ministry of Local Government. Certain conditions will be imposed, including that the electricity used to charge them must come from solar power.
“If they recharge their batteries using electricity other than solar power, we will not register these battery-powered or e-rickshaws, nor will we renew their registration.”
The state minister said, “The law will include a provision for fines if they charge their vehicles with electricity other than solar power.”
He said city corporations and municipalities would issue the registrations.
“Parliament has passed a law on this issue and rules are now being formulated based on that law. The registration fee, renewal fee and other conditions will be set out in the rules,” he said.
Regarding the fitness of battery-powered rickshaws, he said obtaining a fitness certificate from the automobile department of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) or a government polytechnic institute at the district level would be made mandatory for registration and renewal.
“After obtaining the fitness certificate, it will have to be countersigned by the traffic police and submitted to the city corporation or municipality,” he said.
Eight Zones Planned for E-rickshaws in Dhaka
The state minister also announced plans to divide e-rickshaws in Dhaka city into eight zones.
He said four zones would be under Dhaka South City Corporation and four under Dhaka North City Corporation.
“E-rickshaws in each zone will have a separate colour. Geofencing technology will also be used to prevent e-rickshaws from one zone from entering another,” he said.
The rules will also specify which roads e-rickshaws will be allowed to use and which roads they will be prohibited from using.
The traffic police will enforce fines for violations of the geofencing rules and other provisions, the state minister said.
Asked about monitoring, he said, “This is the job of the police. We are doing this jointly with the police. The police are also part of the committee. The traffic police will implement and monitor the geofencing system.”
The government also plans to provide e-rickshaws with QR codes at the time of registration, he said.
“The initial meeting on drafting the rules has already been held. Experts from BUET, Dhaka traffic police and representatives of the two city corporations took part in it,” he said.
Asked when the decisions would be implemented, Mir Shahe Alam said the process would begin as soon as the rules were vetted by the prime minister and the Ministry of Law and incorporated into the regulations.
“This initiative will not be limited to Dhaka; it will be implemented simultaneously across the country. E-rickshaws will be brought under registration, legal regulation and renewal in all 13 city corporations, 330 municipalities and all Upazilas across the country,” he said.
