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Delhi city authorities will bring 300 electric buses in the first push in an ambitious campaign to improve air quality in India’s national capital, which deteriorates sharply during winters.
Suburban buses will start arriving from factories in October and the entire fleet will be on the city streets by February 2022, Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said.
Delhi intends to build a total of 600 such vehicles in addition to 1,000 public buses running on low-emission compressed natural gas, according to reports.
Monday’s move followed orders to replace more than 2,000 gasoline and diesel-leased government cars with electric vehicles within six months, in line with the Clean Air Campaign.
“Delhi will be the capital of the world where all government departments switch to electric vehicles for road travel,” Delhi Deputy Chief Minister said Manish sisodia mentionned.
Nice reductions
The city government led by the Aam Admi party of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal (Common People’s Party) also offered nice cash rewards to residents opting for fuel-less vehicles.
The administration has promised initial discounts ranging from 1,700 euros to 3,240 euros on specific models of new electric vehicles.
“The reduced amount will be directly credited to the customer’s bank account,” one city car dealership said, citing the government’s cash back program.
Change Delhi route
Kejriwal last month reported on a campaign called ‘Switch Delhi’ to promote electric vehicles and said he would also try to convince delivery chains, malls, businesses and cinemas to install charging stations for electric vehicles. vehicles on their property.
“I also urge young people, who are looking to buy their first car or bicycle, to opt for an electric vehicle as the Delhi government gives huge subsidies and there are no road taxes or registration fees. “, added the Chief Minister.
Switching to electric vehicles will be another effort that we will all take together to ensure that we continue this fight for sustainability, he added.
Kejriwal, who is serving a second term, is banking on his popularity with the city’s teeming middle classes to tackle air pollution with the Switch Delhi campaign.
The chief minister also asked his team to mentor residents’ associations, known locally as RWA, in the air cleaning campaign.
But despite its efforts, only 465 electric cars have been sold in the city of 19 million people in the past six months, according to published reports.
Electric vehicle policy
In August, as part of a rollout policy, Kejriwal said he hoped to ensure that a quarter of all new vehicles registered in the capital would be running on batteries by 2024.
The electric vehicle policy also aims to set up dozens of charging points and battery exchange stations in Delhi, which has around 11 million vehicles, many of which are fuel-hungry jalopies.
“I’m looking for a good deal, but first I need to locate charging points near my home or office,” commented Anirudha Guha, potential electric scooter buyer.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s national government has also stepped up efforts to reduce air pollution in the capital and neighboring states with tough federal law.
Last month, his government also unveiled a national plan that could drive 6.8 million old and unsafe private and commercial vehicles.
Air pollution in Delhi deteriorates in the months leading up to winter largely due to traffic fumes and the burning of agricultural waste by producers in neighboring states.
Twenty-two of the 30 most polluted cities in the world are in India. Delhi is ranked in the top three.
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