Under new EV policy, Delhi govt waives road tax on battery-operated vehicles

New Delhi: Battery-operated vehicle owners in the Capital on Sunday breathed a sigh of relief as the Transport Department of the Delhi government issued a notification in the Delhi Gazette, waiving road tax for all battery-operated vehicles and suggesting that registration fees for such vehicles also be waived keeping with the government's new Electric Vehicle Policy.

As per the notification, the exemption of road tax for battery-operated vehicles will kick in from October 10 and the government here has given residents a period of three days to send suggestions on waiving registration fees for electric vehicles, following which a formal order will be issued, according to a Delhi government statement.

"The said draft will be taken into consideration after the expiry of a period of three days from the date on which the copies of this notification as published in the Gazette of Delhi are made available to the public. Objections or suggestions on this behalf should be addressed to Secretary-cum-Commissioner (Transport), Government of National Capital of Delhi, Transport Department.., " the Gazette stated.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hailed the decision as "another crucial step towards ensuring a pollution-free Delhi".

"This incentive-based policy will encourage large scale adoption of electric vehicles, and bring us closer to fulfilling our dream of making Delhi the EV capital of India," he wrote on Twitter. The chief minister had in August announced the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy 2020, promising to waive road tax and registration fee and to provide an incentive of up to Rs 1.5 lakh for new cars.

Transport Minister Kailash Gehlot also took to Twitter, "Congrats Delhi! As promised by CM @ArvindKejriwal when announcing landmark EV Policy, Delhi govt has EXEMPTED road tax on Battery Operated Vehicles. With right incentives & supporting infra, we are determined to ensure Delhi leads the country in rapid transition to Elec Vehicles [sic]."

The EV policy is being promoted by the state government to reduce Delhi's contribution to air pollution in the National Capital Region. The new policy aims to register 5 lakh electric vehicles in the city by 2024. It also focuses on the creation of employment in sectors such as driving, selling, financing, and charging of EVs, and heavy incentives for the rapid adoption of EVs.