Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 22 Jul: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed the officials concerned to swiftly implement the Prime Minister E-Bus Service Scheme, urging them to ensure timely completion of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across the state. Presiding over a review meeting of the Transport Department at the Secretariat here, today, the CM also instructed prompt action for the rollout of a Green Cess on vehicles entering from other states and emphasised time-bound completion of bus stand construction projects under progress.
To facilitate widespread adoption of electric mobility, Dhami directed the officials to establish EV charging stations at bus terminals, at the parking sites, near the government buildings and the guest houses, and at petrol pumps to offer convenient access to commuters. He further stressed on the need to focus on increasing the revenue of the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC) through strategic measures.
During the meeting, Managing Director of the Transport Corporation, Reena Joshi, shared that the Prime Minister E-Bus Service Scheme will initially be launched in Dehradun and Haridwar, where 150 electric buses will be put into service. The scheme is designed to offer reliable, inclusive, and eco-friendly transport facilities and is expected to generate around 750 employment opportunities. She added that the state government is laying particular emphasis on expanding the EV charging network to promote cleaner transportation and mitigate air pollution. As part of the first phase, charging stations have already been installed at 28 locations across the state.
Present at the meeting were Vice Chairman of the Infrastructure Monitoring Council, Vishwas Dawar; Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan; Principal Secretaries RK Sudhanshu and R Meenakshi Sundaram and senior officials of the Transport Department.
