Soon, Victorias to roll out as electric carriages in Mumbai

MUMBAI: The banned Victoria carriages will soon make a comeback on the streets of Mumbai, though in a new avatar. The state on Tuesday issued a notification allowing the Victoria operators to run electric carriages on the same routes, mainly around South Mumbai.
The notification states licences will be issued to operators who had lost their jobs post the ban four years ago.
"Not more than six people (including the operator) should be allowed in the carriage; for the first six months the fare can be fixed by the operators after which the fares will be decided by the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Transport Authority," the notification states.
As per the notification, the uniform of the operator will be according to the transport authority's rules and the electric carriage will have to follow all licencing regulations.
Officials said in the first phase, 40 carriages will be allowed to ply on routes around Gateway of India and Marine Drive. A company that manufactures e-carriages had mooted the proposal to rehabilitate the Victoria operators. The transport department gave its nod in May. Following a PIL filed by an animal rights' NGO in June 2015, the Bombay HC directed the authorities to ban carriages driven by horses as they were found to "violate the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act". The courts had also said that the state government should form a policy to rehabilitate the carriage owners who were rendered unemployed by the order.
The state was considering giving the operators a hawker's licence, but they rejected it. Before being banned, the Victorias were in use in Mumbai for nearly a century. They were used as a mode of transport, but turned into tourist attractions with time. Victorias have featured in several Bollywood films as well.
Read this story in Bengali