State to exempt battery vehicles from permit requirements

KOLKATA: The state Transport department exempted battery operated vehicles from permit requirements in a bid to boost electric vehicles in the state. A notification in this regard was issued by the Transport department on Tuesday.

Battery operated vehicles (as defined under Clause (a) of rule 2 of Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989) and those driven

on methanol and ethanol fuels will come under this ambit stated the notification.

The owners, who feel that their vehicles fulfill the criteria, have been asked to make a declaration in Vahan portal about the route and area within which they would ply their transport vehicles for availing the benefit.

The Bengal Power department had notified the Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy 2021 in June 2021, aiming to position the state as a sustainable transportation infrastructure hub.

The policy will remain in force for five years from the date of notification in the official gazette.

As per the new policy, the government plans to have one million EVs combined across all segments during the implementation period. The government is also planning to develop 100,000 charging stations during this time frame.

Under the new policy, Kolkata, Asansol, Darjeeling, and Howrah will be declared as model electric mobility cities with goals to adopt EVs, charging, and hydrogen refueling infrastructure, and new EV-enabling building codes.

New Town in Kolkata will be the epicentre of pilot projects for all new initiatives in this regard.

Speaking at the session on Future Mobility at the first East India Summit, organised by CII, virtually on Tuesday Rajanvir Singh Kapur, managing director of West Bengal Transport Corporation said it was imperative for the stakeholders to consult each other and identify the bottlenecks in order to increase acceptance of electric vehicles amongst the general masses.

WBTC has already introduced 80 electric buses under the phase-I of the FAME scheme operating in and around the city.