Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday asked transport ministry officials to hold a meeting with electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers to discuss ways to replace the existing bus fleet with electric buses.
Chairing the review meeting here, he reiterated his determination to phase out the entire Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus fleet. The company’s entire bus fleet will be electrified by 2025, an official statement said.
“I congratulate the Ministry of Transport for replacing the existing public fleet with an electric fleet,” the Chief Minister said.
The government also plans to launch e-taxis, he said.
Meanwhile, a delegation from the British High Commission, led by climate change policy chief Arina Cosac, met Sukhu here.
The chief minister said that Himachal Pradesh is on track to become a green energy state by 2025 and electric vehicles will play a vital role in achieving this goal. He said input from a survey conducted in Shimla based on Indo-British PACT will help develop it into a smart city, the statement said.
It said the India-UK PACT provided funding to the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) to identify policy and institutional gaps in transitioning public transport to EVs at state and city levels.
Cosac said the baseline survey was conducted in Shimla city and involved electric vehicles, multi-level transport and ropeways, the statement said.
First published date: Feb 20, 2023 at 09:53 AM CST
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