L-G, CM and Gahlot flag off 400 e-buses

New Delhi: Delhi has taken a significant step towards reducing its carbon footprint as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, along with L-G VK Saxena and Transport minister Kailash Gahlot flagged off 400 new electric buses on Tuesday.

This move cements Delhi’s position as the number one city in India in terms of electric bus deployment. With these 400 new additions, Delhi now boasts a total of 800 electric buses on its streets, the highest number in the entire country.

These electric buses are part of a subsidy scheme, with the Central government providing a subsidy of Rs 417 crore, while the Delhi government is investing Rs 3,674 crore.

This initiative aims to combat pollution and improve the quality of life for Delhi’s residents. The ultimate goal is to have over 8,000 electric buses on Delhi’s roads by the end of 2025, making it a global leader in adopting electric transportation.

Kejriwal expressed his enthusiasm for this achievement, stating, “This is an extremely ambitious target, nothing short of a revolution. It’s 2023 already, and within 2.25 years, we will have 8,280 electric buses on the streets of Delhi. We will increase the number of electric buses 10 times within 2.25 years.”

The buses are equipped with modern amenities, including CCTV cameras, panic buttons, and GPS for passenger safety. They can travel up to 225 kilometres on a single charge, making them a sustainable and eco-friendly choice for public transportation.

These electric buses also cater to differently-abled individuals with ramps and step-less boarding. The buses are designed to provide a comfortable and efficient mode of transportation for all passengers.

Furthermore, the financial expense for this transition is shared between the Central Government, which provides a subsidy on 921 buses, and the Delhi government, which covers 90 per cent of the expenses. The Delhi government has also invested Rs 182 crore in developing the required infrastructure for electric bus depots.

Besides the addition of 400 electric buses, contracts have already been awarded for an additional 3,980 buses.

However, the launch of these electric buses also sparked a credit war on social media between the AAP and BJP. While the AAP credited Kejriwal for the initiative, the BJP attributed it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the Central Government’s FAME II scheme.

Additionally, in response to the central government’s plan to propose changing the name of the country during a special session of Parliament, Kejriwal questioned whether the proposed change of India’s name is due to insecurity about the I.N.D.I.A. alliance. He wondered if they would change the name to “Bharat” if the alliance adopted that name. “Our country is so old, and its name is being changed because the India alliance has been formed, and the BJP thinks their votes might decrease. This is a betrayal to the nation,” he added.