Drive against e-rickshaws plying illegally
More than 38 e-rickshaws fined for moving on the wrong route
LUCKNOW: The district administration on Thursday launched a drive against e-rickshaws plying illegally on the Hazratganj crossingSikandarbagh crossing stretch, where movement of these vehicles has been prohibited to ensure smooth vehicular movement.
The crackdown came a day after the administration announced ban on movement of e-rickshaws on this stretch and nine other prime routes of the city.
Praful Tripathi, additional city magistrate (ACM I), who led the drive along with the police, said more than 38 e-rickshaws were fined for moving on the wrong route whereas 285 vehicles were fined for unauthorised parking on the roadside in Hazratganj.
He said such drives would now be a regular affair, wherein the administration team would check the effectiveness of the ban. The restriction on the movement of e-rickshaws is also expected to streamline traffic in Lucknow, added Tripathi.
However, it is not the first time when the administration and Regional Transport Authority (RTA) have made an attempt to combat e-rickshaw menace that causes traffic jams.
In 2017, the administration had banned movement of e-rickshaws on 33 prime routes, including Hazratganj. Similarly in 2015, the administration had also launched a drive against e-rickshaws plying illegally in the city and constituted an ‘enforcement team’ to seize the unregistered e-rickshaws. But, due to technical reasons, the attempts remained ineffective. As per RTO records, Lucknow has over 15,000 registered e-rickshaws and the number is on the rise.
Kaushal Raj Sharma, district magistrate, said the drive aims to ensure effective implementation of the ban on e-rickshaws on certain routes, especially the prime ones and those prone to traffic jams.
“Our team will continue to launch such drives to regulate movement of e-rickshaws and restrict their movement to less crowded routes,” he added.