e-RICKSHAWS HAVE BECOME WHITE ELEPHANT IN BIKRAMGANJ IN ROHTAS DISTRICT

Sasaram, 25 April 2023, (RNI): e-rickshaws purchased with the cost of Rs. 85.20 lakh in the year 2020 have become a white elephant in City Council (nagar parishad) Bikramganj in Rohtas district and their engines and batteries disappeared but no one is worry about it.

During the period of erstwhile EO, Nagar Parishad, Bikramganj Prem Swarupam, a resolution was passed in the meeting of the Nagar Board in the year 2020 to purchase e-rickshaws from an agency that would made  a two chamber special e-rickshaws to collect dry and wet garbage from town areas. Each e-rickshaw cost Rs. 2.84lakh and at least 30 e-rickshaws were ordered to the agency and Rs. 85.20lakh was paid on time. The agency supplied the e-rickshaws as promised but the Nagar Parishad had no space to keep them.

Recently retired EO Suryanand Singh said that 30 e-rickshaws were purchased without any information of which some are parked on the campus of old block office and some are parked on the campus of waste management centre while even the executive of the Nagar Parishad had no information of where about some of e-rickshaws. He said e-rickshaws were not needed despite they were purchased and it is a matter of inquiry as to why so many e-rickshaws were purchased. He said in low voice that the agency offered huge amount to the officials in the name of delivery of vehicles. He further stated that at least 30 drivers were needed and each driver has to be paid Rs. 344 per day i.e. Rs. 10320 per month besides, lakhs of rupees would have to paid as electric bill for charging the batteries of the e-rickshaws and that to no benefit.

Reportedly, Bikramganj  Nagar Parishad purchased two chamber 30 e-rickshaws in which four batteries were fitted in each e-rickshaw to the collect of dry and wet garbage from the town areas. Out of 27 wards under Bikramganj Nagar Parishad, 23 ward councilors had received e-rickshaws while 4 ward councilors namely present chairman and Ward Councilor of Ward No 3 Gupteshear Prasad Gupta, Ward Councilor, Ward No 11 Praveen Bano, Ward Councilor, Ward No 23, Anisha Begum and Ward Councilor, Ward No 22 Shahjahan Khatoon had refused to receive saying that it was worthless and thus 7 e-rickshaws remained with the Nagar Parishad of which three are still rusting on the campus of Circle Office while four e-rickshaws are traceless. The e-rickshaws parked on the CO office, JCB machine will to be used to remove them as their batteries and engines are traceless also and only structure of e-rickshaws is there. It was said that batteries and engines were stolen but surprisingly no FIR has so far been lodged in the local police station in this regard.

Sanitary-in-Charge, Bikramganj Nagar Parishad Rang Bahadur Singh said that he was invited his opinion on the purchase of e-rickshaws in the year 2020 but had objected and advised to purchased hand carts instead. Despite e-rickshaws were purchased but the 23 Ward Councilors who had received e-rickshaws complained later that the battery exhausted within an house and so then officer has assured to write to the agency to remove the charging problem but no one bother to come to remove the charging problem till date.

The present EO-in-Charge cum Block Development Officer (BDO), Bikramganj Amit Pratap Singh, when contacted, said that information regarding the e-rickshaws is being collected and he would put pressure to bring the e-rickshaws back to working condition before election.