Fast, silent & unregulated, Salt Lake e-rickshaws a safety hazard: Locals
Times of India | 15 May 2025
Kolkata: What was once a humble pedal-driven, three-wheeled, slow-moving vehicle offering last-mile connectivity has now transformed into a speedy, silent, and unregulated form of public transport in Salt Lake.Residents say it is fast turning into apublic safety hazard. The death of a 72-year-old woman and her dog in the BL Block neighbourhood, after they were knocked down by a speeding retrofitted mechanised rickshaw outside their home, left locals alarmed and angry. "She was simply walking her dog outside her home. The rickshaw sped in from the side lane and knocked her down. It didn't even stop," said Biswajit Mondal, who witnessed the accident. "We are trying to track the driver, but the lack of registration and proper identification makes it extremely difficult.We regularly undertake awareness campaigns asking them to slow down and be more cautious on the road," an officer said. In July 2024, a man visiting his daughter in Salt Lake was hit by a similar vehicle near Central Park, and died after two weeks of battling serious injuries. The spike in accidents is linked to the growing popularity of retrofittedmechanised rickshaws, which now number more than 450 across the township. Fitted with a 375W motor and four 20Ah rechargeable batteries, these rickshaws can hit speeds up to 18 kmph — more than double that of a conventional cycle rickshaw. "These rickshaws are silent and too fast for narrow lanes," said Parama Roy from HA Block.Ironically, while these vehicles resemble factory-built e-rickshaws, they fall in a legal vacuum. According to a 2015 Union ministry notification, e-rickshaws must be built by certified manufacturers, registered with the transport authority, and driven only by certified operators.Mechanised rickshaws in Salt Lake meet none of these conditions. Many of these retrofits are done in informal garages in areas like Baguiati and Barasat, where traditional cycle rickshaws are upgraded at a cost of Rs 55,000 to 75,000. With low investment and high returns, the trend is growing rapidly. "They're technically illegal, but no one's stopping them. We haven't received any clear instruction on how to deal with these vehicles," an officer said."Though the municipality announced a registration drive, there's been no visible follow-up," said Patanjali Bhattacharya from AL Block. Some, like Saumitree Mukherjee from CJ Block, stress the need for better monitoring. "These rickshaws are silent and I constantly fear getting hit from behind," said Deepali Nandi from GA Block. "They've just thrown in electric motors without upgrading brakes, so they go fast but can't stop safely," said Tarun Sarkar of BE Block.(Inputs from Purba Majumder, Shreya Gupta & Prarthana Kar)