Traffic police in the State capital have decided to slap a fine of Rs.10,000 on e-rickshaw drivers if they are found plying their battery-charged vehicles in between the stretch from Albert Ekka Chowk to Sujata Chowk Sunday onwards, police said on Saturday. As per the Motor Vehicles Act, the offenders may also get imprisonment of up to six months, they added.

In a meeting between officials of Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) and traffic police on Saturday, it was decided that the District Administration will impose complete prohibition on e-rickshaws in the aforementioned stretch. The Administration will instead allow city buses to ply in the route.

“There will be complete prohibition on e-rickshaws in the stretch between Albert Ekka Chowk and Sujata Chowk. Any defaulter will be slapped a fine of up to Rs.10,000. Breaking the rules may also lead to imprisonment of up to six months at the time of the first offense,” said Ranchi Superintendent of Police (Traffic), Ajit Peter Dungdung. “If an e-rickshaw driver is caught for the second time, then the imprisonment can be increased to one year,” he added.

The Administration’s decision, however, has not gone down well with the e-rickshaw drivers here, who have threatened to go on a mass protest from Sunday. Representatives of Ranchi District E-Rickshaw Chalak (driver) Union on Saturday met Dungdung soon after the announcement of the prohibition and requested him to allow e-rickshaws in the said stretch. However, Dungdung refused to heed their demands, they said.

“All e-rickshaw drivers will assemble at Zila School Ground on Sunday afternoon and plan future course of action. We will launch massive protest against this diktat of Administration,” said Vijay Nandi, Secretary of Ranchi District E-Rickshaw Chalak Union.

While the decision may seem harsh on the e-rickshaw drivers here, the RMC advocates that only 64 e-rickshaws have permit to ply on Mahatma Gandhi Road but around 600 e-rickshaws ply regularly in the stretch. On Tuesday, about 50 e-rickshaw drivers also staged a protest outside the RMC office against the decision of the District Administration to impose a ban on e-rickshaws in the said stretch. Some of them alleged that the Government had encouraged them to buy e-rickshaws and now the Administration is taking away their only means of livelihood.

Officials from the District Administration, however, are of the opinion that e-rickshaws are the major cause for traffic congestion on MG Road, one of the busiest stretches in the city. Replacing the e-rickshaws with buses will ease the traffic in the stretch, they added. Meanwhile, the police have requested the RMC to launch App-based bus services in the route for convenience of passengers.