Frames from the story:
The Batla
House bus stand is overflowing with a sea of people. They wish to commute to
different destinations, at a distance which is too far to walk and too near to
take the conventional auto rickshaw or taxi services. The latest addition to
the local public transport, which includes Mini Buses (RTVs), cycle rickshaws
and tempos (Gramin Sewas), in this South-East Delhi locality is the
eco-friendly E-Rickshaw service. These new-generation vehicles, powered by
electrically charged batteries, have found many takers, both commuters as well
as ex-rickshaw pullers.
Mohd Nazim sits silent and expressionless on his e-rickshaw, shouting only when he spots a probable commuter, “Kalindi Kunj, Chaar number, Saat number”, signifying the terminating point and stops en route. He has to shout, there are two more e-rickshaws standing behind him, each waiting for the sought-after piece of cake. Nobody wants to take the humble pie. Once onto the e-rickshaw there is a high chance you may be stifling either your leg or someone else’s as the struggle to break free goes on in a cramped cabin thoughtlessly designed for four passengers.
One of the biggest issues the local traffic police faces with the unregistered e-rickshaws is that they are not covered under the Motor Vehicles Act. A large number of e-rickshaws on the road are running on electric motor of 650-800W power output, more than the permissible 250 W. Lack of coverage in any act nullifies the possibility of insurance claims in case of accidents. The Delhi government in December 2012 banned the sale of such rickshaws in the city. The e-rickshaw vendors have now set shops in parts of Delhi-NCR and other close-by cities such as Gurgaon and Agra which provides easy access to interested Delhi rickshaw-wallahs .
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Mohd Nazim sits silent and expressionless on his e-rickshaw, shouting only when he spots a probable commuter, “Kalindi Kunj, Chaar number, Saat number”, signifying the terminating point and stops en route. He has to shout, there are two more e-rickshaws standing behind him, each waiting for the sought-after piece of cake. Nobody wants to take the humble pie. Once onto the e-rickshaw there is a high chance you may be stifling either your leg or someone else’s as the struggle to break free goes on in a cramped cabin thoughtlessly designed for four passengers.
One of the biggest issues the local traffic police faces with the unregistered e-rickshaws is that they are not covered under the Motor Vehicles Act. A large number of e-rickshaws on the road are running on electric motor of 650-800W power output, more than the permissible 250 W. Lack of coverage in any act nullifies the possibility of insurance claims in case of accidents. The Delhi government in December 2012 banned the sale of such rickshaws in the city. The e-rickshaw vendors have now set shops in parts of Delhi-NCR and other close-by cities such as Gurgaon and Agra which provides easy access to interested Delhi rickshaw-wallahs .
Not
everyone is happy with the introduction of e-rickshaws. “Definitely there has
been an impact on the daily income after these electronic versions started
plying”, whines Dinesh, a cycle rickshaw puller who has been living in Delhi
since the past three years. Bharat
Rajput, another cycle rickshaw puller says, “An e-rickshaw is not easily
available. You need to have contacts who guide you to the right place to fetch
a new vehicle from. It’s not for us”.
All’s not
lost with the cycle-rickshaw community, as a large section of commuters still trust
the cycle rickshaw more. Aarushi Khan, a student of class 11, says that she
prefers the cycle rickshaw as “The e-ricks ply only on the main road and don’t
go inside the lanes, which leaves a long distance to walk otherwise. So, I
still prefer the age-old cycle rickshaw”. On the other hand, Abhay Kumar, an
employee with a call center in Noida says that he prefers the electric rickshaw
because it is “eco-friendly, fast and cheap with great seating capacity”. And then there are others, like Sajid Ali, a salesperson, who carry no preference as such. Anything suits them, as long as it takes them to their destination. 
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