E-Paper
Chandigarh admn to review EV policy, submit report in a week
During a meeting of the governing body of the CREST, the nodal agency for implementation of EV policy in the city, which was held under the chairmanship of UT adviser Dharam Pal, officials were asked to prepare the report on the basis of which the final decision is to be taken.
The UT administration on Wednesday asked the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST) to review the electric vehicle (EV) policy and prepare an analytical report on its implementation within a week.
During a meeting of the governing body of the CREST, the nodal agency for implementation of EV policy in the city, which was held under the chairmanship of UT adviser Dharam Pal, officials were asked to prepare the report on the basis of which the final decision is to be taken.
The decision of the UT administration to stop registration of non-electric two-wheelers has created a sense of uncertainty among two-wheeler dealers in the city. They have been urging the administration to allow registration of non-electric two-wheelers even after the target for this fiscal is achieved.
The state transport authority (STA) had on June 19 stopped registering diesel-run tourist/school and factory buses till September 30, 2023 owing to EV Policy 2022.
Also, in line with the policy, the Chandigarh administration will stop registering non-electric two-wheelers from the first week of July and even non-electric cars by December as the permitted number of such vehicles in the current financial year is expected to be met by then.
In the current financial year, 6,202 internal combustion engine (ICE) two-wheelers can be registered in the city as envisaged under the EV policy. After reaching the capped number, their registration will be stopped and only electric two-wheelers will be registered. Till now, around 4,700 vehicles have been registered.
Recently on June 23, city mayor Anup Gupta had termed UT’s EV policy as ‘anti-citizen’ policy and given them a month’s ultimatum to make amends. He said he will sit on protest, along with the citizens, otherwise. “Petrol and diesel vehicles from other states will continue to enter the city, with no restrictions, so how can the city be made carbon neutral. When the Delhi government implemented the ‘odd-even’ policy on vehicles, it applied even to vehicles entering the city. If the Chandigarh administration wants to limit non-EVs in the city, it should restrict vehicles from other states too,” the mayor had said.
The electric vehicle policy, which was notified in September 2022, will be applicable for five years, during which the administration plans to gradually stop registering fuel-run vehicles to dissuade people from buying vehicles that cause pollution.
Auto dealers meet Sood
Meanwhile on Wednesday, the officials of Federation of Automobile Dealers of Chandigarh met city BJP president Arun Sood and said that the policy has been implemented but there is not enough infrastructure in the city to implement this scheme.
They demanded that UT administration should remove the capping for registration of all categories of vehicles and promote EVs through encouragement and positive awareness, not through unilateral prohibition and coercion. If there are any targets for vehicles in the EV policy, they should be indicative and in line with the national target, they said.
