Cycle Rickshaw Advocacy in Delhi

Program Area: Planning & Advocacy for Cycling & Walking
Country: India

Cycle rickshaw operators in Chandni Chowk - India (Source: , Flickr)

In May 2006 the High Court of Delhi passed an order directing the municipal government to stop granting licenses for cycle rickshaws on Delhi roads, complete a ban on use of cycle rickshaws in Delhi's Chandni Chowk area, and introduce compressed natural gas buses in the area to replace the rickshaws.

In May 2007, ITDP India used a Special Leave Petition to formally challenge the Delhi High Court order banning cycle rickshaws in Chandni Chowk and Delhi arterial roads.  In its petition to the Court, ITDP India made the following contentions:

  • They were contrary to both the National Urban Transport Policy and the Master Plan of Delhi. Both place much emphasis on non-motorized transport like cycle rickshaws, especially in areas like Chandni Chowk.
  • If rickshaws were to be banned, they would have to be replaced by motorized transport, meaning that the city would pay a heavy price in terms of increased pollution and increased fuel consumption.

  • Banning cycle rickshaws would result in the loss of many jobs.
  • Traffic management was a highly technical subject and that the High Court did not have sufficient knowledge of transport matters to make a proper decision.  Such decisions could be taken only by the government and only after much deliberation on all relevant aspects in consultation with technical experts.

Photo: Major demonstration of cycle rickshaw drivers and activists, Town Hall, September 2006 (Source: Nalin Sinha, ITDP India)

In addition to submitting the petition, ITDP India has organized an advocacy campaign that has drawn critical media attention to the ban and mobilized support among cycle rickshaw operators, neighborhood business owners, and other critical stakeholders. 

As part of this effort, ITDP India created a cycle rickshaw community group in New Delhi called the ”Cycle Rickshaw Forum”, which has drawn over 600 rickshaw operators as members and gathered over 7,000 signatures from operators across the city urging the Government to remove the ban and provide lanes for non-motorized transport on arterial roads. 

For more information about this project, please visit the ITDP India website or contact:

Nalin Sinha, ITDP India