Patna: The transport department is planning a new system in Patna to curb the rising number of passenger vehicles and reduce traffic congestion in the capital. Under the proposed regulations, autos and e-rickshaws registered in other districts will no longer be allowed to operate within the state capital.A decision in this regard was taken in a meeting chaired by Patna divisional commissioner, Animesh Kumar Parashar, with different stakeholders recently.Officials have observed that a large number of such vehicles from neighbouring districts currently ply on the city’s roads, leading to traffic jams. These outstation vehicles will be first removed and asked to operate only within their respective home districts.Once this step is completed, autos and e-rickshaws registered in Patna will be permitted to run in the city under a strict colour-code zone-based system.The number of vehicles allowed on each route will be fixed, and priority will be given to old permit holders during the allocation process. The department has decided to issue permits to 25,000 autos in the areas covering Patna Municipal Corporation, Phulwarisharif, Khagaul and Danapur municipal councils. The entire process will be conducted online through a dedicated portal, where applicants can submit applications for specific routes.The city will be divided into three zones — Green, Blue and Yellow — each with clearly defined routes and a fixed number of autos permitted on them.Patna divisional commissioner, “It was also decided to create a free zone for autos operating in the reserve/prepaid category.”In the Green Zone, routes will connect Nala Road, CDA Building and Patna Junction with 127 autos, while another will link Buddha Statue, Lohanipur and Khemnichak with 170 autos/e-rickshaws. Other notable Green Zone routes are from Gandhi Maidan to Ashok Rajpath via Malsalami and Didarganj, allowing 2,544 vehicles, and covering Patna Junction, Kankarbagh, Kumhrar, Gulzarbagh and Patna City with 3,576 vehicles. Several additional routes in this zone have also been assigned specific capacities.The Blue Zone includes routes connecting GPO, Gardanibagh, Anisabad, Phulwarisharif and Khagaul with 1,442 vehicles, and from Anisabad Golambar to Zero Mile and ISBT with 265 vehicles. Other routes in this zone link important areas such as Phulwarisharif, Birla Colony and Jagdeo Path.In the Yellow Zone, routes will connect from multi-level parking hub to Raja Bazar, Ashiana and Jagdeo Path via Saguna Mor with 848 vehicles. Another major route will connect Gandhi Maidan to Bansghat, Rajapur Bridge, Kurji and Digha up to Danapur with 1,696 vehicles. Additional routes in this zone cover key locations, including Boring Road, Pataliputra, Digha Bridge and Hajipur, with their respective permitted numbers.Zone-wise operations are expected to commence after the next meeting, which is scheduled for April 25. “Once the final proposal is received, the department will initiate the process of issuing permits,” said Rajkumar, secretary, transport department.For safety reasons, it was also discussed to ban the operation of e-rickshaws on certain major roads, including Marine Drive, Atal Path, Bailey Road (Nehru Path), Old Bypass, Exhibition Road, Bakarganj, Fraser Road, Gandhi Maidan and Anisabad to Phulwarisharif road.
