Kolkata will have only CNG & e-vehicles by 2030: Hakim
Kolkata: State Transport minister Firhad Hakim on Wednesday said that Calcutta will have only e-vehicles and CNG vehicles by 2030. He made the announcement during a virtual panel discussion on "Accelerating Electric Mobility with Green jobs and Gender parity" at Green Zone, COP26, Tower Base North, Glasgow.
"Since 2011 one of our prerogatives was to make New Town a smart city. It is one among the 100 smart cities of India, the only such city in West Bengal and Eastern India," said Hakim during the panel discussion organsied by Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General of International Solar Alliance, Debashis Sen, Chairman of New Town Kolkata Development Authority and New Town Kolkata Green Smart City Corporation Ltd, Arnab Basu, VicePresident of The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Daniel Bradley, Team Leader of Low Carbon Growth, British High Commission, India, Mr Subir Chakraborty, President Designate of The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Gautam Ray, Senior vice-president of The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry also voiced their opinion during the panel discussion.
Hakim reiterated that around 100 e-buses are at present plying in Kolkata. 1000 more e-buses will be added to the existing fleet shortly. This apart, 300 state-run buses will also be converted from diesel to CNG shortly in a phased manner.
In October 2019, Kolkata had won the prestigious C40 awards for city's green mobility at C40 World Mayor Summit.
While the city takes pride in its platinum rating certification from Indian Green Building Council for its adoption of green energy sources and sustainable practices, several initiatives have been taken up to make New Town Kolkata a smart city, environment friendly and pollution free city.
A few such initiatives include 10 percent additional FAR is allowed in case of Green Buildings. Reservation of two per cent of the car parking space for Electric Vehicle Charging Facilities. Installation of Solar Panels with LED lights.Greening of Metro Pillars by IoT enabled vertical Garden. Construction of Cycle Track and Barrier Free Footpath. Opening of Public Bicycle Sharing System in New Town Kolkata. 480 acres of Eco Park or Prakriti Tirtha with a 110-acre water body are the factory of fresh air.
"In a bid to enlighten the common people about the benefits of using eco-friendly vehicles, we conducted Electric Vehicle Carnival last month," pointed out Sen.
