The animals you’ll find pulling carts in the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) are often painfully thin and, although wearing blinders to shield them from the onslaught of traffic, live in constant fear of heavy motor vehicles colliding with them as they trudge through the exhaust fumes of jam-packed, narrow streets. The cart owners are in dire straits, too, struggling to make ends meet.

Animal Rahat—with the welcome support of Member of Legislative Assembly, Mr. Pawan Sharma, local government officials, and e-rickshaw manufacturers—has launched a pilot project that will get the animals off the road and retire them to a wonderful sanctuary, reduce the incidence of traffic/animal fatalities and injuries, and reduce pollution in one of the most polluted cities in the world. In recent weeks, Animal Rahat helped 10 owners at and Azadpur Mandi of Delhi replace their bullocks and horses with environmentally friendly e-rickshaws. Now those five bullocks and five horses have been successfully retired and will spend the rest of their lives peacefully communing with nature and each other. There are also hopes to expand the program into Ghaziabad and Noida and throughout the Delhi NCR, with the goal of one day not having any animal carts on streets in the region!

E-rickshaws help not only hardworking animals but also former cart owners who make the transition to a more modern and profitable business. E-rickshaw owners avoid the road restrictions placed on animal carts as well as the illness and fatigue that come with using animals. The carts are safer for the public because they eliminate innumerable traffic hazards caused by having animals share the road with motorized vehicles.

The Delhi Transport Department offers a subsidy of Rs 30,000 to e-rickshaw owners and has crafted guidelines for the operation and regulation of e-rickshaws in the city, in accordance with federal law.