Suvendu urges e-rickshaw owners not to pay ‘steep’ govt fees
The Statesman | 16 October 2025Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Kolkata, Adhikari alleged that the Mamata Banerjee-led government was “trying to fleece” over five lakh e-rickshaw owners by demanding Rs 1,000 as a one-time registration fee and Rs 100 as a monthly tax. He claimed the move was politically motivated, aimed at mobilising funds ahead of next year’s Assembly elections. “The government has imposed an arbitrary financial burden on people who are already struggling to survive,” he said. “Most of these drivers are educated—some with BA and MA degrees—but the state’s lack of industrial growth and job opportunities has forced them to earn a living by driving e-rickshaws for 15 to 16 hours a day,” he added.
Adhikari accused the Trinamul Congress government of abolishing a large number of permanent posts in the School Service Commission (SSC) and the Public Service Commission (PSC) since 2011, thereby “drying up the last few sources of government employment.” He alleged that the registration drive was part of a “deep-rooted conspiracy” by the state transport department to “extract money” from marginalised people. “We have no objection if the government seeks to regulate totos transparently,” he said. “But why should poor drivers be forced to cough up such amounts when the state itself is reeling under Rs 8 lakh crore in debt?” Adhikari demanded a substantial reduction in the one-time registration charge and complete withdrawal of the monthly levy.
Citing his tenure as transport minister in 2018–19, Adhikari said around 3.5 lakh totos then operated legally in the state, a number that has now officially crossed five lakh. “The real number is likely much higher,” he added.
In response, TMC spokesperson Trinankur Bhattacharya dismissed Adhikari’s remarks as “an attempt to provoke e-rickshaw owners against an administrative initiative meant to regulate unregistered vehicles.” According to a recent notification, the transport department began issuing temporary toto enrolment numbers (TTEN) from 13 October, a process that will continue until 30 November.
