GUNTUR: Keeping in view the Transport Department’s proposed ‘Green Transport Policy’, the Guntur administration has decided to introduce e-auto rickshaws to better its measures to reduce air and sound pollution. The department had earlier issued a notification seeking opinions of residents on the same. Most of the responses the officials got were positive, it is learnt.
As such, the district collector has accepted the proposal to introduce e-auto rickshaws in the city after a report on the same was submitted by the Transport Department. The official had reviewed the functioning of environment friendly battery-operated rickshaws on the Collectorate premises in June. Not only they help in reducing pollution, but are also economical.
The running cost of e-vehicles are cheaper as compared to those that operate on fuel. According to the available information, rickshaws that operate on fuel are priced at around `3.5 lakh, while the e-auto rickshaws cost only `1.5 lakh. They started gaining popularity in Guntur in 2011. Presently, more than 30,000 auto rickshaws ply on Guntur roads that adds to increase in pollution. These vehicles are an integral part of the transport system in the city.
However, with the government’s steps to reduce pollution-level in the State, an official with the Transport Department said that auto-rickshaws would not be given permission to operate after 2019. The deputy commissioner of the department, GC Rajaratnam, said e-auto rickshaws will prove useful in curbing pollution. “The department will not issue new permissions to auto-rickshaws after 2019 to encourage eauto rickshaws in Guntur.”
The rickshaws operating on fuel will only be allowed to ply till 2019, he said, adding that the public can write to the department if they have objections for the same. Supporting the government’s move, D Varun Kumar, a resident, said e-rickshaws can prove to be a fine alternative for commuting.