Gurugram: Taking cognisance of the increasing vehicular pollution in the district, the Gurugram administration will soon begin investing in electric vehicles.
To begin with, an order of 12 vehicles has already been made by Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), which will then phase out its vehicles that mostly run on diesel.
Even Haryana government officials are planning to phase out their diesel vehicles and acquire electric vehicles for various purposes.
The Gurugram administration will also be setting up charging stations for the electric vehicles. The sites for the charging stations have been proposed are at Tau Devi Lal stadium and Sector-15.
There are also plans to bring in 100 electric buses, which will be used for public transportation.
However, listing the challenges for the growth of electric vehicles, a dealer of electric vehicles in Gurugram said a high-speed electric vehicle costs four times as much as the normal vehicles.
Moreover, the lithium batteries used by such vehicles lasts three years.
"Most people in the National Capital Region, including Gurugram, opt for two-wheelers because of their high speed," he said.
Even though the Millennium City is plagued with a poor public transportation system, many residents are also taking unique initiatives to reduce usage of cars.
Most of them are from residential condominiums and office complexes, where rather than using their own vehicle, an efficient system of carpooling options is now being undertaken.
"There may be many things that will be bad in Gurugram. But there is a strong community bonding in residential societies. At a time when the city is reeling under the effects of deadly pollution, the citizens of Gurugram have taken to carpooling," said Shikha Rai, a Gurugram resident.
The government and the district authorities cannot abdicate their responsibilities to tackle this grave challenge," she added.
While many residents are doing their bit to reduce the number of vehicles in a city where more than eight lakh vehicles ply daily, the public transportation system is yet to be strengthened by the government.
The Haryana government was planning to introduce 500 buses in the city for improving the public transportation services. However, due to logistical problems, there are plans to introduce some of the buses in August 2018.