New Delhi: Hundreds of e-buses and thousands of e-auto rickshaws will be running on the roads of the national capital in the next two months, Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said on Friday.
The minister handed out the first set of Letters of Intent (LOIs) to the first 20 people, including 10 women, who have been granted permits for driving e-auto rickshaws here.
"Delhi is making a huge transition from diesel and petrol to electric vehicles and in the next two months, the city will see hundreds of e-buses and thousands of blue and lilac e-autos running on its roads," he said.
E-auto rickshaws in lilac colour will have women drivers and blue will be the colour in case of those being driven by men.
The Delhi government is procuring 300 e-buses for the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), out of which two have already arrived, while the rest are likely to be rolled out in the coming months.
Gahlot said that with the distribution of LOIs, a huge step has been taken towards not just reducing pollution and ensuring last mile connectivity, but also in establishing a strong women presence in Delhi's public transport system.
Last Monday, the department held a computerised draw of lots for nearly 20,000 applicants to select 2,855 men and 743 women for issuing e-auto rickshaw permits.
The successful applicants, who receive LOI, will be required to purchase an e-auto rickshaw and apply for registration on the single-window portal of the Convergence Energy Services Limited, within 45 days of its issue.
"I strongly urge the women in whose name the e-auto is registered, to drive the autos, since we will be strictly enforcing the same," Gahlot said.