Jaipur Administration Enacts E-Rickshaw Zone Segregation Policy
The administration in Jaipur has officially implemented the e-rickshaw zone segregation policy, originally formulated by the previous Congress government. As of Friday, all seven designated zones have been established, with e-rickshaws now restricted to operating solely within their allocated areas.
Policy Details and Operational Changes
From Friday onward, each e-rickshaw is permitted to travel only within its allotted zone and is prohibited from carrying passengers between different zones. This effectively transforms e-rickshaws into stage carriages rather than contract carriages, limiting their routes to specific urban sectors.
DCP (Traffic) Sumeet Meharda explained that each of the seven zones has been assigned a distinct color for identification purposes. For instance, the North zone is marked with blue. All e-rickshaws will display a sticker on their windscreen containing owner details, with the sticker's background color matching the zone's designated hue.
Vehicle Caps and Future Replacements
Meharda further stated that the maximum number of e-rickshaws in Jaipur city has been capped at 30,000. Currently, there are over 28,000 valid e-rickshaws, with an additional 1,500 new vehicles awaiting zone allotment. In the future, e-rickshaws will be required to be replaced every five years, with new replacements automatically inheriting the zone allotment of their predecessors.
Objectives and Impact on City Traffic
Traffic officials emphasized that the policy aims to ensure an equal distribution of e-rickshaws across Jaipur. Previously, more than 90% of e-rickshaws operated within the Walled City and its surrounding areas, leading to congestion and uneven service availability.
With the policy now in effect, passengers experienced immediate changes on Friday. For example, it became impossible to book an e-rickshaw or take a shared ride from Laxmi Mandir Tiraha on Tonk Road to destinations like Choti Chaupad or Badi Chaupad within the Walled City, as the Walled City constitutes one of the seven zones, and e-rickshaws allotted there cannot operate outside it.
Internal Route Specifications Within Walled City
Even inside the Walled City, the policy introduces further restrictions. Five specific routes have been defined, with 50 e-rickshaws allocated to each route. These 250 vehicles are strictly confined to their assigned alignments and cannot deviate from these paths.
An official highlighted the benefits of this system, noting that e-rickshaws are not designed for long-distance travel. The new policy is expected to decongest areas both inside and outside the Walled City, ensure adequate e-rickshaw availability for locals in all city sectors, and enhance local transportation options for residents.
