Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam has said the government will issue a specific policy directive soon to control and operate battery-powered rickshaws and other battery-powered vehicles across the country, including Dhaka.
Responding to a supplementary question from reserved women MP Shaukat Ara Akhter in the budget session of the parliament on Monday (July 13th), the minister said the government is examining how to make the management of battery-powered rickshaws more effective and disciplined. After the final directives are prepared, the government and local administration will take necessary action.
He said coordinated initiatives have been taken to manage and control battery-powered vehicles as part of the integrated multi-modal connectivity in the capital.
Earlier, Shaukat Ara Akhter proposed to turn public transport into electricity or environmentally-friendly fuel-powered vehicles in a phased manner to reduce carbon emissions in the transport sector. He said it is necessary to increase the use of electricity, CNG, LNG, biodiesel, biogas, green hydrogen and ethanol-based fuels as an alternative to fossil fuels.
He also wanted to know what the government’s plans are to improve the quality of the battery-powered auto-rickshaws and easybikes, train drivers and bring them under a specific regulatory authority and restore order on the road.
In response, the bridge minister said the city corporation and traffic divisions are mainly responsible for controlling battery-powered vehicles in Dhaka city. However, an integrated policy is being prepared in this regard and the government will give necessary directives in this regard soon.