Traffic police officials seldom take action against illegal modified cycle rickshaws that are overloaded and drive on the wrong side of the road, posing great risk to passengers as other motorists.
An overloaded 'modified and motorised' cycle rickshaw plying in Dwarka
Next time you get into modified rickshaws plying at Metro stations in Dwarka, providing last-mile connectivity, keep in mind that you could be getting into a death trap.
To compete with e-rickshaws, many cycle rickshaw pullers have installed heavy battery and motors, notching up speeds of up to 40 km per hour. And what's worse, they are often overloaded to make maximum use of every trip.
The batteries they use have more power than prescribed by the Motor Vehicles Act, making them illegal because of the risk they pose to passengers and to other vehicles around them.
Throwing safety norms to the winds, their sole purpose is to get hold of as many passengers as possible to earn maximum money from one trip.
So what if you are in one of them?
Naresh Kumar, a resident of Sector 5 who is working on a campaign to make roads a safer place, said, “Once modified thus, these rickshaws essentially become public carrier vehicles. They also move at speeds they cannot control. So how safe are passengers in them?"
Unfortunately, no one from the authorities has called this problem out.
At Metro stations in sectors 9, 14 and 21, and in Dwarka Mod, such e-rickshaws can be seen operating daily, mostly overloaded. Each cycle rickshaw packs in up to six passengers at a time.
A resident of Sector 14, Vikas Kumar, told City Spidey, “Overloading is not good for any vehicle, especially so for a cycle rickshaw, which is not made for such use.”
At Sector 14, some of these rickshaws take students to the IP University campus. Not only are they overcrowded but they also ply on the wrong side of the road.
A high-powered battery is placed below the seat of the cycle rickshaw. Brij Lal, a rickshaw puller, said he had been using a battery for the past six months. "I do not know the rules and the danger of using either powerful batteries or travelling at a a 40 kmph speed," he said. "But what are we to do? These e-rickshaws pose tough competition. We need to survive."
"Also," he added, "I can have a motorised rickshaw for just Rs 20,000; I don't need to spend Rs 1.5 lakh for an e-rickshaw."
On asking whose battery power is higher, his modified rickshaw's or an e-rickshaw's, Brij Lal says, “ The battery I use is more powerful. They use a 600-watt, 12-volt battery, but I use a 700-watt, 12-volt battery.”
Unaware of the consequences of riding a motorised cycle rickshaw, Brij Lal is proud that he makes more than may other e-rickshaws in the area.
Experts and activists agree that the authorities must step in and put a stop to this practice immediately.
“A cycle rickshaw is not made to handle these speeds. It is made to tackle cycling. If you make it run on battery, it will be extremely dangerous,” said Naresh Kumar, an activist working on traffic awareness.
According to the Delhi Motor Vehicles Act, vehicles with motor power less than 250W and capable of attaining speeds of less than 25 kmph are regarded as non-motorised. These require no registration. But, now, to gain speed and power, the rickshaws are using four batteries of 12 volts each, which have a collective wattage of between 650 and 900. They are designed to carry only four persons but now are transporting six to eight people, including the driver.
One of the traffic officials said on condition of anonymity, “We seldom challan such e-rickshaws, as the rules are complex. So we often avoid taking action and getting into complex situations. But activists insist that administration must act quickly."
