Lucknow: The Allahabad high court’s Lucknow bench has expressed concern over the unchecked proliferation of e-rickshaws in the state capital, observing that the growing fleet is significantly contributing to traffic congestion. The court has directed Uttar Pradesh govt to take a policy decision within four weeks on whether fresh registrations of e-rickshaws should be restricted in Lucknow and other cities where their numbers have exceeded actual requirements.The direction came during the hearing of a public interest litigation filed by advocate Suraj Singh Visen. During proceedings, the court was informed that nearly 1.33 lakh e-rickshaws are currently operating in Lucknow, placing additional pressure on the city’s already strained road network.A bench of Justice Alok Mathur and Justice AK Chaudhary said the state govt should examine provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act and consider regulating registrations in cities facing an oversupply of e-rickshaws. The court stressed that every vehicle must possess a valid registration to operate on public roads and clarified that exemption from registration fees does not exempt vehicles from the statutory registration requirement.Referring to Rule 178 of the Motor Vehicles Rules, 1998, the bench noted that the state govt has adequate powers to regulate the movement of e-rickshaws. It observed that an order issued in May 2022 prohibits e-rickshaw operations on several key roads in Lucknow, but enforcement remains inadequate.The court directed Special Investigation Team to ensure strict implementation of existing restrictions and explore whether similar curbs could be imposed at other congestion-prone locations. It also said that alternative routes must be provided wherever restrictions are enforced.The bench further turned its attention to persistent traffic bottlenecks at Kamta crossing and along the Polytechnic-Kamta-Chinhat corridor. It was informed that IIT-BHU will undertake an independent traffic assessment, including flow analysis, simulation studies and recommendations for long-term solutions. The court asked concerned departments to coordinate with Lucknow Municipal Corporation to strengthen traffic management measures. The matter will be heard next on Dec 9.
