Mumbai, July 14: Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has directed officials to identify dedicated routes for Pink E-Rickshaws across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to ensure smooth implementation of the women’s e-rickshaw scheme without disrupting traffic. He said the initiative would also encourage the adoption of electric vehicles.
Chairing a review meeting at Mantralaya in the presence of Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare, Sarnaik instructed the Transport Department, Traffic Police and Regional Transport Offices to jointly identify suitable internal routes where low-speed e-rickshaws can operate safely instead of using highways and major roads. He also recommended using GPS technology to effectively monitor and regulate the vehicles.
The minister further directed officials to hold discussions with e-rickshaw manufacturers to address concerns related to battery technology, vehicle speed and overall performance through technical improvements.
Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare said the government’s financial contribution under the Women’s E-Rickshaw Scheme has been increased from 20% to 40%, while the financing structure will now include 50% bank loan and 10% beneficiary contribution. She added that technical norms currently applicable in the MMR have prevented the operation of L-3 category e-rickshaws. In view of this, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has suggested launching the scheme on selected routes to strengthen last-mile connectivity.
