NEW DELHI: A man recently died of electrocution after he touched a gate near his house in northeast Delhi’s New Usmanpur. A police probe revealed that an illegal e-rickshaw charging point set up by a group of power thieves in the area had caused the accident. The miscreants had hooked a cable to an overheard power unit and wound the wire on the iron gate.
E-rickshaws, which have mushroomed in Delhi over the last few years, cause not only a traffic menace on the road but also pose a safety hazard when their batteries are illegally charged overnight. In the past few years, several cases of people getting electrocuted or injured due to illegal charging units have been witnessed. Three people were charred to death and more than a dozen people injured in Shahdara in November 2016 after a short circuit triggered a fire in a building where e-rickshaws were being charged.
Though the number of erickshaws has spiralled, the city lacks enough parking spaces, pick-up points and charging stations for them. The number of authorised charging points is almost negligible, which has resulted in a thriving industry of illegal charging points.
“Most e-rickshaws are charged in batches as part of an organised illegal network controlled by the local mafia. Owners pay Rs 100 to Rs 150 for full charging of the batteries, which takes between six and seven hours,” said a source. “Those running these illegal charging stations steal electricity from the main power lines,” the source added.
According to experts, power worth Rs 170 crore is stolen every year by e-rickshaws.
The cost of charging an erickshaw at the authorised points, however, comes to only about Rs 45 per 10 units. “This translates to about Rs 1,350 per month. But e-rickshaw owners still prefer to spend Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,500 per month at illegal charging points as there are not many authorised charging points in the city. Also, they can’t wait in queues for long and travel far to get their vehicles charged,” said an official source.
“The areas where largescale theft of power by erickshaws is taking place include Sangam Vihar, Batla House, Kalkaji, Tughlaqabad, Sarai Kale Khan and Dakshin Puri (south Delhi); Raghubir Nagar, Tagore Garden, East Sagarpur and Madipur (west Delhi); Seelampur, Yamuna Vihar, Shastri Park, Karawal Nagar, Mustafabad and Nand Nagri (east Delhi); Karol Bagh and Keekarwala (central Delhi); and Keshavpuram and Civil Lines (north Delhi),” the official added.
As per an estimate, the number of e-rickshaws would have easily crossed 1.5 lakh in Delhi. Only 71,092 e-rickshaws are, however, registered.
E-rickshaws, which have mushroomed in Delhi over the last few years, cause not only a traffic menace on the road but also pose a safety hazard when their batteries are illegally charged overnight. In the past few years, several cases of people getting electrocuted or injured due to illegal charging units have been witnessed. Three people were charred to death and more than a dozen people injured in Shahdara in November 2016 after a short circuit triggered a fire in a building where e-rickshaws were being charged.
Though the number of erickshaws has spiralled, the city lacks enough parking spaces, pick-up points and charging stations for them. The number of authorised charging points is almost negligible, which has resulted in a thriving industry of illegal charging points.
“Most e-rickshaws are charged in batches as part of an organised illegal network controlled by the local mafia. Owners pay Rs 100 to Rs 150 for full charging of the batteries, which takes between six and seven hours,” said a source. “Those running these illegal charging stations steal electricity from the main power lines,” the source added.
According to experts, power worth Rs 170 crore is stolen every year by e-rickshaws.
The cost of charging an erickshaw at the authorised points, however, comes to only about Rs 45 per 10 units. “This translates to about Rs 1,350 per month. But e-rickshaw owners still prefer to spend Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,500 per month at illegal charging points as there are not many authorised charging points in the city. Also, they can’t wait in queues for long and travel far to get their vehicles charged,” said an official source.
“The areas where largescale theft of power by erickshaws is taking place include Sangam Vihar, Batla House, Kalkaji, Tughlaqabad, Sarai Kale Khan and Dakshin Puri (south Delhi); Raghubir Nagar, Tagore Garden, East Sagarpur and Madipur (west Delhi); Seelampur, Yamuna Vihar, Shastri Park, Karawal Nagar, Mustafabad and Nand Nagri (east Delhi); Karol Bagh and Keekarwala (central Delhi); and Keshavpuram and Civil Lines (north Delhi),” the official added.
As per an estimate, the number of e-rickshaws would have easily crossed 1.5 lakh in Delhi. Only 71,092 e-rickshaws are, however, registered.
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