LUCKNOW, Oct. 29 -- After years of regulatory hurdles and repeated attempts to rein in the city's growing e-rickshaw fleet, the transport department began formal action against vehicles flouting mandatory norms, issuing notices to around 70 dealers and owners linked to 171 e-rickshaws on Wednesday. In its first concrete move to curb illegal operations, the department initiated proceedings that could eventually lead to suspension of registration and scrapping of non-compliant vehicles, with nearly 40,000 e-rickshaws under scrutiny following the Allahabad high court's intervention. The transport department had identified nearly 40,000 e-rickshaws that could face suspension of registration and eventual scrapping for failing to meet mandatory fitness and insurance requirements. Officials said the notices cover dealers and owners holding varying numbers of vehicles, ranging from one to around five. ARTO (administration), Lucknow, Pradeep Kumar Singh, said enforcement against e-rickshaws violating rules was continuing. "Enforcement against illegally operating e-rickshaws is continuing. As part of the latest action, notices have been issued to around 70 dealers and owners linked to 171 vehicles. Further action will follow the prescribed procedure," he said. Under the proposed mechanism, owners of e-rickshaws without valid fitness certificates or insurance would have six months to rectify deficiencies. Vehicles remaining non-compliant could face suspension of registration, followed by deregistration and scrapping, subject to legal procedures. In an affidavit submitted before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court in 2025, the transport department acknowledged that over 70% of e-rickshaw and e-auto owners had not obtained mandatory fitness certificates. Tracing owners has also proved difficult. Officials said several had registered vehicles using local addresses supported by rent agreements but later vacated the premises. In 2024, police divided the city into 16 zones and allotted designated operating areas to 23,761 e-rickshaws through a lottery-based colour-coding system. However, an HT reality check in September 2024 found that drivers continued operating outside their allotted zones. The municipal corporation's proposal to establish 45 designated stands for autos and e-rickshaws also failed to provide a sustained solution. After the high court struck down earlier restrictions on ownership numbers and registrations in 2025, the department is focusing on enforcing existing fitness, insurance and registration norms. On August 21, 2026, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court pulled up the UP government over the unchecked rise in e-rickshaws, observing that it could not remain in a "state of slumber". During a hearing, a division bench of Justice Alok Mathur and Justice Amitabh Kumar Rai was informed that around 80,000 e-rickshaws were operating in Lucknow....