Kolkata: In a bid to curb vehicular emissions — a major source of air pollution in the city — the West Bengal State Fishermen’s Cooperative Federation Ltd (Benfish) has launched nine electric vehicles (EVs) for selling cooked fish items across Kolkata and its adjoining areas.
“This is a joint initiative of the state Environment Department and the Department of Fisheries to improve Kolkata’s air quality under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), implemented by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB),” said Biplab Roy Chowdhury, Minister in charge of the Fisheries Department. “Our target is to introduce at least 19 such electric vehicles within a year and completely phase out diesel ones,” he said. The newly introduced EVs will be stationed at busy locations in Kolkata, Salt Lake, and Rajarhat. Each vehicle is equipped with LPG-operated ovens and deep fryers, refrigeration units, and an awning window to provide shade for customers. Fire extinguishers and other safety features have also been installed.
The vehicles will feature digital displays to broadcast audiovisual messages from various government departments — including Fisheries, Environment, Health, Consumer Affairs, and Tourism — to raise public awareness at nominal cost. State Environment Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, who attended the event, called for inclusion of ‘Environment’ as a subject in one of the three lists of the Indian Constitution — Union, State, or Concurrent — to ensure more effective environmental management.
Benfish earlier operated eight to nine diesel-run mobile outlets, of which only four are now in use. The rest are being phased out after completing 15 years of service. With the addition of nine new electric “food-on-wheels” units, the total fleet strength now stands at 13.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Fisheries Department Roshni Sen, WBPCB Chairman Kalyan Rudra, and senior officials from both departments were present at the launch event on Wednesday.