Ernakulam RTA to issue permits to 3,000 electric and CNG autos by March

Ernakulam RTA to issue permits for 2,000 electric autos and 1,000 CNG/LPG/LNG-powered ones in Kochi, reducing pollution and noise.

The decision of the Ernakulam Regional Transport Authority (RTA) to issue new city permits to 2,000 electric autorickshaws and 1,000 CNG/LPG/LNG-powered ones in Kochi will lessen reliance on diesel autos that create very high levels of noise and air pollution, sources in the Motor Vehicles (MVD) department said.

Such polluting autos continue to converge in the city in large numbers from suburban towns and even other districts, although the MVD and other stakeholders are making efforts to regulate them.

According to a notification issued on December 18 by the RTA, applicants for electric and CNG/LPG/LNG-powered autos ought to ensure that their vehicles are less than seven years old. In addition, drivers of such autos ought to wear their nameplate on their uniform. After the mandatory procedures, the final list of autos and their bonnet number would be published on March 10, 2025, the sources said.

A senior MVD official said the city with its innumerable narrow and bottlenecked roads needed a reliable, non-polluting fleet of electric autos. “Unlike their fossil-fuel counterparts having city permit number, e-autos bearing bonnet number can operate anywhere in Kerala. On their part, local bodies must earmark dedicated auto stands to weed out illegal auto stands that driver unions establish at congested junctions and in narrow parts of roads. This will also prevent such new stands from cropping up, further choking traffic. There are also complaints like drivers of conventional autos not permitting e-autos to operate from many stands,” the official added.

Local bodies must also prevent unauthorised conversion of cellar-parking space of commercial buildings as shops, to prevent customer vehicles being parked on roads and pavements. The number of electric autos will increase if their manufacturers provide better warranty and assurance that old batteries will be taken back for scientific recycling, he said.

Welcoming the decision to issue permits to 2,000 more electric autos and 1,000 less-polluting ones, police sources said it would help lessen pollution and the number of private vehicles on city roads. “This is because such autos would provide last-mile connectivity from metro and bus stations,” they added.