Kangra: Congress leader and former Transport Minister GS Bali has urged the state government to bring about a comprehensive electric vehicle policy for Himachal Pradesh.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari during his recent visit had lauded the efforts and farsightedness of GS Bali for introducing electric buses in Kullu-Manali.
This had made a historical moment for the state in 2017 for the state as it became the first state in the country to have adopted eco-friendly commuting in Kullu district on the Kullu-Manali highway when Bali was the then transport minister.
Bali taking to social media maintained that the state has also been first state in north India to have started AC buses for the general public in the state-run transport corporation during his tenure.
“When I took this decision, I had to face a lot of opposition,” he said, adding that when electric buses were started many people were not pleased with the move.
The need of the hour is to move ahead with evolving modernity as the electric vehicles is the next revolution, he added.
Keeping in view the environmental concerns and need to conserve the ecology, electric taxis and buses were started in Shimla, he said.
As already the foundation in the direction has been laid by the previous Congress government, the state government should work towards bringing about comprehensive electric vehicle policy for Himachal Pradesh.
This will help reduce pollution and boost economy.
“Considering the fact that state produces cheapest electricity, selling surplus electricity has become a challenge. This can be consumed for charging electric vehicles and can help in providing cheap transport to the public,” said Bali.
