Shimla: Gearing up for introducing ecofriendly mode of transport in the state, the Himachal Pradesh Government is all set to introduce electric vans in all major towns of the state.
It’s learned that the government is introducing 50 electric vans and Screening Committee has given its approval for plying of electric vehicles and has sent its recommendation to the Election Commission of India for final approval, reported by The Tribune.
As model code of conduct in in force in the state, the government need to take prior permission from the Election Commission before implementing any project.
It’s reported that electric vans would ply in Shimla, Kullu-Manali, Mandi, Dharamsala, Hamirpur, Chamba, Mandi, Sundernagar, Nalagarh, Solan, Dehra, Bilaspur, Una, Palampur, Baijnath and Nagrota, and have already dispatched to the respective HRTC depots.
The HRTC has issued 61 permits to launch the service. The electric vans would run along routes between 10 and 40 km around the main towns.
The Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India, has provided 90 per cent assistance for the purchase of the vans.
Mahindra built electric vans can be charged on a routine 15 ampere points, and would be proved a stepping stone in curbing the pollution.
With the increasing numbers of vehicles, the pollution level has jumped and even forced NGT to intervene and ordered state government to adopt measures to curb the pollution level in the state. After NGT order the state government was forced to do away with the fuel powered public transport vehicles and restrict numbers of private vehicles on ecologically fragile Manali Rohtang route.
Even though the state was reluctant to dispense with fuel powered public transport on Rohtang pass, it become first state in the country which has already launched its electric bus service on the 51-km route between Manali and Rohtang.
