Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation will lease autorickshaws, with a preference for electric vehicles, to help civic staff reach complaint sites faster and reduce delays caused by traffic bottlenecks, according to a report by the Times of India. The vehicles will support technicians, supervisors and inspection staff working across key municipal departments.
The move comes as the civic body faces a growing backlog of complaints and pressure to resolve grievances within stipulated timelines. Larger municipal vehicles can be delayed in congested parts of Ahmedabad, limiting how quickly field teams can inspect problems and begin corrective work. Autorickshaws are expected to provide a smaller and more flexible option for reaching sites in dense or traffic-constrained areas.
According to a senior AMC administration official cited in the report, the leased vehicles will be deployed across several departments. These include the water supply and pumping division, the central laboratory responsible for urgent water testing, the streetlight department and the central workshop.
The streetlight department has recently been receiving the highest number of complaints among the functions identified for the deployment, the report said. Faster access for inspection and repair personnel could allow the civic body to respond more quickly to faults, although the report does not specify the number of vehicles to be leased, the expected deployment date or the total cost of the arrangement.
The vehicles will not be restricted to complaint-related visits. AMC staff will also use them for routine daytime duties, including monitoring water supply operations between 6am and 2pm. This places the autorickshaws within the corporation’s regular field-operation system rather than treating them only as an emergency transport measure.
The fleet will also remain available for emergency deployment during civic disturbances, utility failures and public holidays. That arrangement is intended to give departments access to transport when normal municipal operations may be stretched or when urgent field attendance is required outside standard working patterns.
AMC’s preference for electric autorickshaws adds an emissions-related element to the operational decision, although the supplied report does not state whether electric vehicles will be mandatory or how many electric and CNG models will ultimately be leased. It also does not provide details of charging arrangements, procurement terms or maintenance responsibilities.
The decision highlights a practical constraint in urban governance: resolving a complaint depends not only on registering it but also on moving staff, equipment and inspection capacity through the city. In Ahmedabad’s congested areas, the choice of vehicle can influence how quickly municipal departments reach the locations where water, lighting and other civic services require attention.
The AMC’s next steps will involve leasing the vehicles and assigning them to the identified departments. The report does not specify a timetable for the rollout or provide a target for reducing the existing complaint backlog.
