CM Kejriwal flags off 150 electric buses

New Delhi: The Delhi government aims to launch 2,000 electric buses within a year, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Tuesday after flagging off 150 such buses here.

The chief minister said his government has also allocated Rs 1,862 crore for procuring electric buses over the next 10 years. Kejriwal took a ride in one of the e-buses.

"We flagged off 150 buses today. One hundred fifty more will be added next month. These are your buses. Please take care of them, don't make them dirty. These buses will reduce pollution in Delhi," he urged while interacting with reporters.

The Delhi government allocated Rs 1,862 crore for getting electric buses over the next 10 years while the Centre has provided Rs 150 crore for that.

Kejriwal said the target is to get 2,000 electric buses within a year.

Asked about the Centre's fund, he said: "We are thankful to the Centre. We give them the credit. Work should happen in Delhi."

The chief minister claimed that for the time in the history of Delhi, 7,200 buses will be plying on the roads of the national Capital.

He also shared that the government also plans to procure 600-700 CNG buses because the manufacturing of electric buses takes time.

The chief minister flagged off the buses from the Indraprastha Depot and boarded one of them to reach the Rajghat Cluster Bus Depot. He was accompanied by Delhi Transport minister Kailash Gahlot and chief secretary Naresh Kumar.

The chief minister also recalled the days when he used to travel in buses during the time of India's anti-corruption movement.

Along with zero-emission, these buses are zero noise. In addition, they are equipped with GPS devices, ramps for the differently-abled, panic buttons, CCTV cameras and other security-related facilities.

"During the Andolan days, I used to travel in buses. But the air-conditioning was not strong. Today, I travelled by electric bus. Despite the presence of people, the air conditioning was strong," he said.

He also said till May 26, starting from Tuesday, commuters can avail free travel on these buses.

Later in a tweet in Hindi, he said: "Delhi has written a new chapter in its fight against pollution today. From today, 150 electric buses have started plying on Delhi's roads in one go. I travelled in one of them and it has modern facilities. You must also travel in Delhi's luxurious electric bus."