MCD to award licences to cycle rickshaws by June

In a move that will cause several repercussions in the city, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to award licences to all 6 lakh cycle rickshaws plying on city roads. Hamari Jamatia reports.

In a move that will cause several repercussions in the city, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to award licences to all 6 lakh cycle rickshaws plying on city roads.

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The licensing of rickshaws had stopped in 2007 at 99,000 rickshaws, but with fresh court orders issued in December, the MCD had to lift the ban. The civic body is likely to identify all rickshaws on Delhi roads and register them by June 30.

According to a circular issued on Monday, the MCD will set up parking areas for rickshaws and make an exhaustive plan for their regularisation. The plan will include setting up of licensing officials in all zones of MCD, identifying parking sites, formulation of licence/ registration fee and identification of roads on which they can ply.

“In December, the high court had passed an order to issue licences, so that rickshawpullers are not harassed. The MCD has to implement the order in letter and spirit in a time-bound manner,” said a senior MCD official.

He added that taking into consideration the order along with cycle rickshaw policies, the MCD had issued guidelines to all zonal deputy commissioners to comply with the court order.

The guideline says a drive should be undertaken at the zonal level through the Central Bureau Services counters of municipal zones for licensing of the rickshaws. The MCD will also bring out the application form for the regularisation.

“Deputy commissioners have been given the task to identify parking/ halting sites for rickshaws in each zone along with appropriate signages as per the availability of space,” said a senior MCD official. To keep a tab on the progress of the scheme, action-taken reports will have to be submitted by the deputy commissioner to the MCD headquarters every fortnight.