The e-rickshaw that fatally hit a two-year-old at New Town on Tuesday was one of the several lakhs of such unregistered vehicles plying across Bengal despite a high court ban on them since August 31, transport department officials said on Wednesday.

In August, Calcutta High Court had issued an order for registration of e-rickshaws and asked the transport department to ensure that the unregistered vehicles didn’t ply after August 31.

Over two months have passed since the order was issued but unregistered e-rickshaws continue to ply, said transport department officials.

The transport department has drawn up a preliminary report that suggests only around 25,000 such vehicles, out of an estimated seven lakh, have been registered.

While officials in various areas in and around Calcutta have been asked to ensure registration of e-rickshaws with regional transport offices, they admitted the lack of any remarkable progress in terms of conversion.

“We had moved the high court to explain how unsafe it was to travel in some of these vehicles because most of them are assembled locally without undergoing any technical tests,” said Sanjib Datta, the lawyer who had filed the case.

Officers overseeing registration of e-rickshaws said enforcing the ban was difficult because in several parts of New Town, Teghoria and Kaikhali unregistered e-rickshaws continued to remain a viable option for thousands, especially when it came to last-mile connectivity.

In Calcutta, e-rickshaws are seen plying in several pockets, including stretches of Kasba and Garia, a bulk of them unregistered, said sources.

“We have filed a review petition with the high court seeking a relaxation of the ban order while we go about

getting unregistered vehicles registered,” said a senior official of the transport department.

Officers in the transport department said that to be registered as a legitimate vehicle its prototype had to be certified by the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), which is located in Haryana’s Manesar. Once certified, the vehicle owner would have to pay Rs 660 annually for registration.

The high court had said that if any unregistered e-rickshaw was involved in an accident, the owner would have to pay the compensation.

“However, if the owner of the e-rickshaw concerned cannot be identified or traced, such a compensation shall be paid by the state at the first instance….,” the order said.