Play store
Battery-powered auto-rickshaws will not be registered if they are charged using electricity from sources other than solar power, while existing registrations will not be renewed under the proposed regulations.
Operators may also face fines for violating the requirement, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam said.
He made the remarks on Monday (August 17) after a review meeting on the use of solar power by departments, agencies and organisations under the ministry.
Responding to a question, the state minister said battery-powered e-rickshaws would be brought under a registration system administered by city corporations and municipalities.
“Some conditions will be imposed, and the vehicles must be charged using solar power,” he said.
“If they are charged with electricity from sources other than solar power, we will neither register nor renew the registration of these battery-powered or e-rickshaws,” he added.
Mir Shahe Alam said fines for charging the vehicles with non-solar electricity would also be included in the new law.
He said the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) would no longer register these e-rickshaws. Instead, city corporations and municipalities would issue registrations. Parliament has already passed legislation on the matter, and regulations are now being drafted to determine registration and renewal fees as well as other conditions.
Regarding vehicle fitness, the state minister said obtaining a fitness certificate from the automobile department of BUET or a government polytechnic institute at the district level would be mandatory for registration and renewal.
The certificate would then have to be countersigned by traffic police before being submitted to the relevant city corporation or municipality.
The government also plans to divide Dhaka into eight zones for e-rickshaw operations—four under Dhaka South City Corporation and four under Dhaka North City Corporation. E-rickshaws operating in each zone will have different colours.
Geofencing technology will also be used to prevent e-rickshaws from one zone from operating in another, he said.
The regulations will also specify which roads e-rickshaws can and cannot use. Traffic police will enforce penalties for violations of geofencing restrictions and other rules.
The government also plans to assign QR codes to e-rickshaws during registration.
“The preliminary meeting on drafting the regulations has already been completed, with experts from BUET, Dhaka traffic police and representatives of the two city corporations taking part,” Mir Shahe Alam said.
He said the regulations would come into effect once they receive approval from the prime minister and vetting from the Law Ministry.
The initiative will be implemented nationwide, not just in Dhaka. E-rickshaws in all 13 city corporations, 330 municipalities and every upazila across the country will be brought under the registration, regulatory and renewal system.