No purchase of petrol, diesel vehicles in Himachal: Sukhu on Green agenda

SHIMLA: Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has ordered all government departments to stop buying diesel and petrol vehicles in the state and instead switch over to electric vehicles.

The chief minister himself has been using electric cars in Shimla and also for his travels in the state.

The green activists are attaching a lot of importance to the Himachal Pradesh government move to ban purchase of diesel or petrol vehicles by Himachal Pradesh government from January 1, 2024 on wards.

“If necessary, the departments will be able to purchase petrol or diesel vehicles only after the approval of the Cabinet”, he added.

Aiming for ‘Vyavastha Parivartan’, the chief minister since his first budget speech took a pledge for preservation of the green cover of the state and announced various provisions to promote e-vehicles in the state.

Already during the year, the number of e-vehicles purchased in the state for government departments reached 185, while that of private e-vehicles registered in the state are 2,733.

All the departments will ensure replacing their fuel vehicles with e-vehicles in a phased manner. Use of e-vehicles is not only a new beginning, but also shows the commitment of the government towards environmental preservation, he said.

To meet the requirement of vehicles in departments, permission has been given to ply e-taxies on contract basis. Under the Rs 680 crore Rajiv Gandhi Self-Employment Start-up Scheme, e-taxi permits are being provided to the youth by providing them 50 per cent subsidy on their purchase.

The chief minister said the government is developing infrastructure for charging e-vehicles.

The Transport Department has finalised 54 locations for setting up e-vehicle charging stations in the state, some of which are almost ready.