DHUBRI, June 14 - Commuters are facing a lot of difficulties as more than 140 e-rickshaws have been seized by the Dhubri district transport authorities for plying illegally in the streets of Dhubri town without any proper documents.
E-rickshaws have quickly become a popular mode of transport in the narrow roads of Dhubri town, but transport officials say most of them ply without any proper documents.
However, e-rickshaw drivers say that they have been paying Rs 30 every day to the Dhubri Municipal Board (DMB) for allowing them to ply on the streets of Dhubri town. �The DMB has been taking money as parking fees and has also allotted numbers to many e-rickshaws, but suddenly the DTO has regarded us as illegal and stopped us from plying,� said Madan Roy, president of the Dhubri Toto Drivers� Union.
Source said that the DTO has allotted papers to Indian-made e-rickshaws only, while Chinese made e-rickshaws were seized for plying without documents. Since the seizure on Wednesday, e-rickshaw drivers have been demonstrating in front of the office of the DMB and blocking the roads demanding immediate release of the seized vehicles.
Commuters, especially women, elderly persons and students, are facing a lot of trouble due to the sudden shortage of e-rickshaws in the town. They said that they have become habituated to such mode of transportation and the sudden decrease in the number of e-rickshaws has caused them immense trouble.
