State to procure 1180 e-buses, 'letter of allowance' inked

kolkata: West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) awarded work order to Tata Motors Limited for deployment of 1180 electric buses under the Grand Challenge initiative of Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL). The Letter of Allowance (LOA) was signed in presence of state Transport minister Firhad Hakim, Managing Director CESL Mahua Acharya and senior officials of Tata Motors on Wednesday.

The minister expects that the first installment of 500 e-buses will be rolled out by March 2023. "We have set a target of phasing out of 100 per cent fossil fuel vehicles and conversion to e-vehicles in the state by 2030. Electric buses will be running only in Kolkata while CNG buses will be run in districts. So, we have planned to open more CNG stations in the suburbs," Hakim said.

Among the 1180 electric buses 500 will be air-conditioned while 680 will be non-AC buses. He maintained that the department is coming up with a scheme for replacement of diesel-run buses by private operators into CNG and is in talks with Tata Motors in this matter.

Elaborating on the state Transport department's plan for shifting to e-vehicles, Hakim said that electric ferry in Kolkata will be introduced very shortly. Smart gates will be installed in 12 ghats along with charging stations. "We are also introducing one state one card through which a person can travel in all modes of state transport, including buses, trams and ferries with a single smart card," the minister said.

He added that the state government has decided to introduce more auto-rickshaws routes around five stations on the Metro corridor in Kolkata to cater to the growing demand for feeder connectivity. At least 400 auto-rickshaws, which will be electric vehicles, will ply on the new routes that are being drawn up considering the flow of passengers to these stations. " We are in talks with CESC for setting up charging stations at auto stands," Hakim said.

The state government has already announced waiving of road tax and registration fees to encourage more e-vehicles.

The department is also working on introducing GPS-based CCTV surveillance in electric buses for safety of the passengers and ensure transparency in service. CESL is the government designated nodal agency for procurement and deployment of electric vehicles, including e-buses, across all government and state-run units through a homogenised process to ensure uniformity of vehicle standards and operational compatibility across States.