The Delhi high court on Thursday ordered an immediate ban on plying of e-rickshaws in the city, saying that “unregulated plying of the vehicles on Delhi roads is prima facie a hazard to other traffic on road as well as the citizens”. The court directed the city government to stop e-rickshaws from plying on the roads for “as of now”. A bench of justices B.D. Ahmed and S. Mridul said “Stop it as of now”, while giving the order. The court told the Delhi government, “You say it is illegal. You stop them in the meantime, till a law is framed to regulate them. You can’t allow them to take law into their hands. “These e-rickshaws don’t have insurance, registration. Even the drivers don’t have driving licences. There is no bar on specific number of passengers they can carry,” the court added. The Delhi government informed the court that the ministry of road and transport was working towards amending the Motor Vehicle Act to regularise the e-rickshaws by bringing them under its ambit. “In so far as the present situation is concerned the plying of e-rickshaws is illegal. The Delhi government to ban plying of e-rickshaws without fail,” said the court order. “Local bodies will then frame rules to regulate the e-rickshaws,” said advocate Zubeda Begum, appearing for the city government while referring to the letter submitted before the court. The court refused to comment on the ministry’s proposed move and observed that in the current scenario “plying of e-rickshaws is illegal”. The court also took judicial notice of the Wednesday incident reported about a two-and-half-year-old kid who died after he slipped out of his mother’s hands and fell into a boiling sugar syrup pot at a sweet shop after his mother was hit by an e-rickshaw. The court also observed, “There is no specific load or number of passengers that they are required to carry. They are not registered. They have no insurance.” The matter will be heard on August 14. The traffic police in its affidavit have informed the court that the uncontrolled plying of e-rickshaws has led to more than 26 accidents in which two passengers died. The unregulated operation of the battery-operated vehicles is also causing traffic problems and nuisance on the roads, claimed the traffic police. It also claimed that 137 cases were registered against e-rickshaw drivers for rash and negligent driving till June. The e-rickshaw passengers are not insured for injury or death as these vehicles are not insured, said the police. The court directions came on a petition filed by social worker Shanawaz Khan, who has alleged that e-rickshaws, which are operated with power output of 650 to 850 watt and are designed to ferry only four people, including the driver, were carrying more than eight people at a time, endangering their lives.