A meeting was held to discuss the overall operation and management of three-wheeled battery-powered e-rickshaws across the country, including city corporations and urban areas. The meeting was held on Sunday (August 30) at the conference room of the Local Government Division at the Secretariat, chaired by Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives State Minister Mir Shahe Alam.

During the meeting, relevant stakeholders presented their views and recommendations on e-rickshaw management, operation, registration and regulation. Several meetings had previously been held on the issue, and the progress of decisions taken at those meetings was also reviewed.

The meeting discussed several important issues, including urban management, traffic discipline, fitness testing and certification of e-rickshaws, garage and charging facilities, the use of renewable energy, and other related matters.

The state minister said, “The people must not be subjected to any kind of inconvenience.” He said effective implementation of the policy would play an important role in controlling traffic congestion, maintaining discipline on roads and ensuring road safety in urban areas.

He further said that introducing a systematic licensing and registration process through local government authorities would not only bring discipline to e-rickshaw management but also generate revenue for the government. At the same time, it would create an opportunity to bring fitness, charging and other technical aspects under a well-organized framework. Existing e-rickshaws will be inspected for fitness and certified accordingly.

The state minister said the draft regulations on e-rickshaw management would be sent to the Law Ministry for vetting. He expressed hope that the regulations would be formulated and all necessary procedures completed as soon as possible.

At the meeting, Professor Dr. Mohammad Ehsan of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Professor Dr. Md. Hadiuzzaman of the Department of Civil Engineering provided expert opinions on the issue.

Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator and freedom fighter Md. Abdus Salam, Local Government Division Secretary Md. Shahidul Hasan, Dhaka North City Corporation Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Asaduzzaman, Dhaka South City Corporation Chief Executive Officer Md. Khaibar Rahman, and Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Md. Anisur Rahman, along with senior officials from the ministry and city corporations, were present at the meeting.