Bangladesh, Sept. 8 -- Battery-operated auto-rickshaws are causing an estimated annual revenue loss of around Tk 40 billion (4,000 crore) to the state exchequer while consuming nearly 5 per cent of the country's total electricity generation, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed revealed it in the parliament on Monday.

Advertisement Responding to an urgent public interest notice under Rule 71 of the Rules of Procedure, tabled by reserved women's seat-4 MP Rehana Akhter Ranu, the minister highlighted the mounting pressure these unregulated vehicles are placing on power management, road safety, traffic congestion, the environment, and government revenue.

According to the Home Minister, approximately five to eight million electric three-wheelers...