COIMBATORE: Battery-operated auto-rickshaws procured by Coimbatore city police for patrolling are gathering dust on the PRS campus for the last four months for want of licence and other regulatory approvals from the transport department.
As per sources, the city police inducted two e-auto rickshaws for patrol, considered to be the first in the state, in May. The vehicles were purchased through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund of some private firms in the city. Four police personnel including the driver can travel at a time in these vehicles. Sources added that police plan to purchase more such vehicles.
However, the vehicles remain parked on the Police Recruit School (PRS) campus for the last four months. Sources said there was an issue in registering the vehicles with the transport department.
Earlier licences were not issued to battery-operated passenger vehicles that ran on methanol or ethanol fuel. Though a notification was issued by the Union Ministry of Road Transport exempting these vehicles from getting a licence, it was not implemented in Tamil Nadu until three months ago. After a long demand, the state government recently allowed registration of battery-operated passenger vehicles including auto-rickshaws, sources said.
Commissioner of Police V Balakrishnan admitted that there was an issue in registering the vehicles because of which they could not be put to use. “Now the decks have been cleared and we are processing the registration process. Soon the vehicles will be seen on city roads,” he explained.
Explaining the pros of such vehicles, a senior police officer said E rickshaws are convenient to use in comparison the fossil fuel-operated vehicles. Also, they cost less compared to cars or jeeps.