Lucknow, Sep 11 The Allahabad High Court has expressed concern over the unchecked growth in the number of e-rickshaws in Lucknow, noting that their quantity has surpassed the carrying capacity of the city's roads.
A bench of Justices Alok Mathur and Amitabh Kumar Rai in Lucknow made the observations while hearing a public interest litigation concerning traffic management in the state capital on Thursday.
The court was informed that e-rickshaws are currently exempt from registration and permit requirements under a notification issued by the Centre, which was cited as one of the key reasons for their unchecked proliferation.
The state government told the court that it had already written to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways seeking delegation of the necessary powers to the state to regulate e-rickshaws effectively.
The bench directed that the Union government, through the ministry's secretary, be added as a respondent in the public interest litigation.
The court was also informed that the transport commissioner had written to the police commissioner seeking issuance of a notification under Rule 178 of the Uttar Pradesh Motor Vehicles Rules, 1998.
The provision empowers the competent authority to restrict the movement of vehicles on specified roads or stretches.
The matter is currently under review by the police commissioner, who is expected to issue the notification soon.
The bench observed that once the restrictions are put in place, they must be strictly enforced, prohibiting e-rickshaws from operating on the designated stretches.
The court also noted that e-rickshaws are frequently parked near railway stations, bus stations, and major intersections, contributing to traffic congestion.
The Lucknow Municipal Corporation assured the court that, in collaboration with the traffic and police departments, they would identify designated parking areas and passenger pick-up and drop-off points.
Regarding the deployment of traffic personnel, the state government informed the court that the recruitment of 1,028 constables dedicated to traffic management is currently underway, along with the selection of 11 traffic inspectors and 1,277 traffic sub-inspectors.
At present, around 1,200 personnel are deployed at intersections in Lucknow, against an ideal requirement of about 1,500, the court was informed.
The bench was further informed that 153 defects had been identified on the Polytechnic-Kamta road.
The matter has been posted for the next hearing on September 21, when the PWD chief engineer and an additional municipal commissioner will appear before the court.
