In a significant development, the Matheran Municipal Council has decided to buy seven e-rickshaws for it three-month pilot project, which will begin on October 15.
The decision was taken in a meeting of the monitoring committee for Matheran on Tuesday, September 13. Moreover, this move is initiated to do away with hand-pulled rickshaws in the hill station.
Official stated that after they issued expressions of interest for e-rickshaws, six companies came forward and five of them took part in trials. The council have selected two models and can buy seven e-rickshaws for the pilot project.
Initially, senior citizens, students, women with children and those sick will be allowed to travel from Dasturi Naka to St Xavier’s Convent School as part of the pilot project. The cost of tickets will be decided by the regional transport office, council officials stated.
For those unversed, in May, the SC had permitted Maharashtra to introduce eco-friendly e-rickshaw in the Matheran eco-sensitive zone on an experimental basis to check its feasibility to replace the hand-pulled rickshaws plying in the area. As the hill station does not allow cars since the British era, to commute within Matheran, people have to either walk or use one of the 460 horses or 94 hand-pulled rickshaws available for transportation.
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