VADODARA: The next time you are looking for help in the middle of the road and if a rickshaw painted in red and yellow colour with men in khaki arrives, don’t be surprised.The city police on Tuesday launched an e-rickshaw service for serving citizens more efficiently. The rickshaw operating on battery will patrol designated areas and the police plans to launch many more e-rickshaws in the coming months.“The idea is to patrol city areas and also reach out to citizens who may be in need of help. This e-rickshaw has been launched on the basis of public-private-partnership model and if it succeeds, we will launch more e-rickshaws,” said city police commissioner Manoj Sashidhar.“The e-rickshaw won’t spread air and noise pollution as it will run on clean energy. It will help us in spreading awareness about reducing pollution in the city,” he added.The e-rickshaw that was launched by Sashidhar will have a siren and a public announcement system as well. “We will be able to patrol in interior areas by e-rickshaw. But this initiative is not just for security measures. We also want to reach out to people including senior citizens who may need help when they are out on city roads. If someone is in trouble or requires medical attention, the cops patrolling in e-rickshaw will be able to help swiftly,” Sashidhar told TOI.Four cops including two male and two female, will travel in the rickshaw that will patrol areas like Sayajigunj , Fatehgunj and parts of Raopura. They will also take rounds in M S University, Sayajibaug and students hostel road. On Tuesday evening, the police paraded the e-rickshaw amid procession inside Sayajibaug. The city police already has a number of patrolling vehicles including motorbikes and jeeps.

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