E-Paper
Chandigarh admn stops registering fuel-run two-wheelers
Total number of non-electric two-wheelers permitted this year under Chandigarh Electric Vehicle policy exhausted; registrations to resume only in April next year
In a major blow to two-wheeler buyers and automobile dealers right before the festive season, the UT administration on Friday put an immediate stop on registration of non-electric two-wheelers after the annual target of such vehicles permitted in 2023 under the Electric Vehicle policy was met at 3 pm.
Now, only electric two-wheelers will be registered in the city until April 2024.
The decision evoked strong resentment among city-based automobile dealers, who were eyeing handsome business in the round-the-corner festive season.
Around 20,000 non-electric two-wheelers are sold each year in Chandigarh — around 1,600 each month — of which 4,000 vehicles are bought in the festive season alone.
UT had rolled out its EV Policy in September 2022, applicable for five years, during which it plans to gradually stop registering fuel-run vehicles to dissuade people from buying vehicles that cause pollution.
“According to the policy target, only 12,076 two-wheelers with internal combustion engines (ICE) were to be registered in the city till December this year. As this target was met on Friday, registration of non-electric two-wheelers has been stopped and now only electric two-wheelers will be registered until April 2024,” said Pradhuman Singh, Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA), UT.
Similarly, in the case of ICE four-wheelers, new registrations will not be done after their number reaches 15,465 that RLA expects will happen by November. So far this year, 13,776 such four-wheelers have already been registered in the city, leaving scope for only 1,689 more.
Registration portal shut without notice: Auto dealers
Ram Kumar Garg, finance secretary of the Federation of Automobile Dealers’ Association, Chandigarh, slammed the UT administration for stopping the registration of non-electric two-wheelers: “UT’s decision will severely impact our business ahead of the festival season. It will be a black Diwali for us.”
Balwinder Singh Oberoi, a dealer of Royal Enfield motorcycles in Sector 27 since 1957, accused the UT administration of abruptly shutting the registration portal without any notice.
He said his dealership had already booked 170 motorcycles, to be delivered during the festive season. But now, they won’t be able to sell them. “We wait for Diwali all year, but the administration dashed all our hopes,” he lamented.
Buyers in a fix
The administration’s decision has also left buyers, who had paid advance for two-wheelers, in a pickle.
Jitesh Kumar, who had paid ₹20,000 for advance booking of a customised Royal Enfield motorcycle, said, “I had been waiting for my motorcycle for a month and today, when it finally reached the dealership, the registration portal was blocked. The dealership has informed me that it cannot be registered in Chandigarh until April 2024. On the other hand, if I don’t collect the motorcycle in two weeks, the advance payment will be forfeited, as it’s non-refundable,” he lamented.
UT’s EV policy is aimed at making Chandigarh a “Model EV City” by achieving one of the highest penetrations of zero-emission vehicles within the policy period of five years. It aspires to mitigate the environmental impact caused by conventional vehicles and establish Chandigarh as a leading EV city.
In the first year of the five-year policy period, after achieving the target for 2022-23, the administration had suspended the registration of non-electric two-wheelers from February 10 to March 31, 2023.
For 2023-24, in June, UT had decided to stop the registration of non-electric two-wheelers after achieving the target of 6,202.
But after facing criticism for stringent capping, the administration in July had relaxed the target substantially, taking it to 12,076. While earlier it had decided to register electric and conventional two-wheelers in 70:30 ratio in 2023, it had brought it down to 35:65, allowing registration of 65% non-electric two-wheelers in the current year.
Notably, the administration had recently said that it is planning to review the EV Policy at a meeting in October, when the cap on registration of non-electric vehicles is expected to be re-examined. Apart from deciding on continuation of incentives being provided on purchase of new EVs, flaws and strengths of the policy will also be deliberated upon at the yet-to-be scheduled meeting.
