The government freed e-carts and e-rickshaws from the requirement of any permits. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued a Gazette Notification on Wednesday, that freed e-rickshaws and e-carts from permit requirements.
According to the notification, the provisions of the sub-section (1) of section 66 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 will not apply to e-carts and e-rickshaws (as defined in section 2A of the said Act,) that are used for carrying goods or passengers with personal luggage.
However, the state governments can however impose restrictions under appropriate traffic laws on plying of these vehicles in specific areas or specific roads, the Gazette said.
In April this year, app-based taxi service Ola launched e-rickshaws, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first person to book one through the app. This was a part of the ‘Start up India’ initiative.
Modi also flagged off about 5,100 e-rickshaws on the occasion. About 151 women were given the vehicle by the Prime Minister.
The e-rickshaws were launched by Bharatiya Micro Credit (BMC) under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojna scheme.
