Birgunj, June 8

Traffic Police Office, Parsa has seized as many as 237 illegally operating e-rickshaws from Birgunj metropolis today.

The drivers were found operating the vehicles without licence, said District Traffic Police in-charge Inspector Rabindra Prasad Bhattarai. The police have been intensifying security checks in the metropolis as road congestion has increased with more than 1,200 e-rickshaws plying along the road.

“Though Narayani Zonal Transport Management Office, Birgunj had notified rickshaw drivers to obtain their driving licences, many of the drivers have been operating without it,” said Bhattarai. Although 1,200 rickshaws ply across the metropolis, only 60 drivers hold driving licences, sources informed. Of the arrested, seven persons have taken their rickshaws back after paying a fine of Rs 1,500 each. According to him, if a person is caught driving a vehicle without a licences/he will be fined Rs 1,500 per day.

Meanwhile, a large number of e-rickshaw drivers protested the action.