Dhaka, March 30 -- A plan to licence battery-run autorickshaws by setting standards for the vehicles is at the final stages, according to Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, the prime minister's adviser for power, energy and mineral resources.

"There has been significant progress in the development of battery-powered auto-rickshaws. We gave BUET nearly Tk 30 million. They have set up a structural design featuring hydraulic brakes and backlights.

"We have worked on how to keep the existing auto-rickshaws running and how to make new ones," he said at an event in Dhaka on Thursday.

Battery-operated motors are being installed in conventional pedal rickshaws across the country, transforming them into autorickshaws. Imported auto-rickshaws run by batt...