Shimla. Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said that efforts are being made to make Shimla the greenest city of the country. For this, the state government is making efforts to set up adequate charging stations in and around Shimla town.
Many pioneering efforts are being made for the smooth operation of e-buses in the city. Taking this initiative forward, Himachal Road Transport Corporation has started the process of setting up five new charging stations for 70 e-buses plying in Shimla city.
An amount of about Rs 3.63 crore has been deposited by the Corporation to the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board for installation of transformers for these charging stations.
CM Sukhu said that Himachal Road Transport Corporation’s fleet of more than 1500 buses would be replaced by electric buses in a phased manner and for this, adequate charging and other related infrastructure was being created.
He said that new charging points would be set up at Taradevi, Tutikandi crossing, Lalpani, Junga, and Theog in Shimla.
This will provide adequate charging facilities to the buses plying within 40 km radius of Shimla city. In addition, the capacity of the 1,000 KVA charging station set up at Dhalli will also be increased to 2,000 KVA.
The State Electricity Board will now provide transformers for all these charging stations. E-bus chargers will be installed as soon as the transformer is installed.
After the installation of new charging stations, the operation of e-buses will be smooth within a radius of 40 kilometers of the city. Shimla city has recently been provided 20 e-buses under the Smart City Mission, taking its number from 50 to 70.
Out of these, 6-6 buses have been made available to New Shimla and Sanjauli sector and eight buses to the Bus Stand area. HRTC has also issued tenders for purchasing additional new electric buses.
All 70 e-buses will be operated on the local routes of the city, which will turn the public transport system in the capital into a complete e-transport facility and help in keeping the environment of Shimla city clean and pollution free.
The Chief Minister said that the electric vehicle industry in the country is making steady progress and the state government has also launched new schemes and incentives to promote electric mobility in Himachal.
The state government is ensuring that the environment is made carbon-free by reducing the number of vehicles using conventional fossil fuels in the state.
He said that the state government has taken several initiatives to set up charging stations for electric vehicles on national and state highways and other major roads besides Shimla town and started a permanent process of identifying land for the same at the district level.