MCG allows diesel, CNG autos to ply in electric zone

Since the launch of the electric three-wheelers zone on August 16 by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, autorickshaw drivers have been protesting against the ban on CNG and diesel autos as it affected their livelihood.

A week after the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) decided to allow only electric three-wheelers in a dedicated zone inaugurated on August 16, the civic body on Tuesday said that diesel and CNG autorickshaws will not be barred from plying in the zone.

Autorickshaw drivers held a meeting and protest at the Leisure Valley Park in Sector 29. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

MCG launched an electric three-wheeler zone (ETWZ), covering Cyber City, Golf Course Road, DLF Phases 1, 2, 3 and 4, DLF-5, and the Mall Mile, allowing only e-rickshaws and e-autorickshaws to operate in these areas, while autorickshaws running on compressed natural gas (CNG) and diesel were barred.

However, following several protests by drivers of diesel and CNG autorickshaws, including one on Tuesday at the Leisure Valley Park, the MCG issued a clarification stating that the main objective of the e-zone project was to convert old diesel autorickshaws into e-three wheelers.

“Normal autos, including diesel and CNG powered autos, have not been stopped from plying in the e-three wheeler zone. It has been made mandatory for such auto drivers to carry other relevant documents, including fitness certificates, with them,” Mukesh Kumar Ahuja, the MCG commissioner, said in the civic body’s official release.

While launching the ETWZ project, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said that diesel and CNG autorickshaws will not be allowed to ply in the zone. Later that day, while describing the ETWZ, an official release issued by the district administration also stated that CNG and diesel autorickshaws are barred in the zone.

The MCG commissioner could not be reached for comment in this regard.

A senior MCG official privy to the matter said that the confusion, miscommunication, heavy protests led to the civic body backtracking on its decision.

“Since April, autorickshaw union leaders, diesel autorickshaw drivers, and owners were regularly apprised about phasing out diesel vehicles with e-three wheelers. Due to a miscommunication, CNG autorickshaws were inadvertently added to the list. This mistake created distrust among the autorickshaw drivers, their unions and the MCG, as a result of which things got out of hand rapidly. We, hence, had to backtrack on the entire project,” said the official, not wishing to be named.

Members of autorickshaw unions expressed relief over the MCG’s decision to allow CNG and diesel autorickshaws. On Tuesday, thousands of CNG and diesel autorickshaw drivers and union members held a meeting at the Leisure Valley Park in Sector 29, where they decided to stage another protest in the evening if their demands were not met.

“The MCG has issued a completely contradictory statement and has gone back on their statement due to the protests. Regardless, the development is a massive relief for all autorickshaw drivers and owners as the e-zone project had affected their daily earnings massively. We will now be returning to business as usual,” said Yogesh Sharma, state general secretary, Haryana Auto Chalak Sanghatan.