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Chandigarh: Councillors unite against EV policy, to stage protest today
Chandigarh mayor Anup Gupta said a committee, comprising councillors, civic body officials, CREST members and market welfare associations, will be formed to decide on where and how to install the charging stations.
House rejects UT’s proposal to install EV charging stations in parking lots, forms committee to examine agenda
Cutting across party lines, all councillors of the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) rejected the UT administration’s proposal to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in 44 MC-run parking lots, during the House meeting on Tuesday. The councillors, led by mayor Anup Gupta, are also set to stage a protest outside the UT Secretariat in Sector 9, on Wednesday, to oppose the EV Policy.
Mayor Gupta further said, “We will form a committee, comprising councillors, civic body officials, CREST members and market welfare associations, to decide on where and how to install the charging stations.”
“The UT can install charging stations at multiple other sites in the city, including petrol pumps and UT-owned vacant plots. We are already short of parking spaces in the city,” he said.
The mayor further added, “We are in support of promoting EVs but the UT had not discussed the policy with the city’s elected representatives. We will protest the policy on behalf of Chandigarh residents tomorrow.”
Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabi, said, “The administration is forcing the policy on Chandigarh residents. EV vehicles are expensive and not everyone can afford it. Though we are in support of green vehicles, people should be free to choose.”
Leader of Opposition and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Damanpreet Singh said, “During festive season, people like to make big purchases like vehicles. But since Chandigarh has restricted the purchase of non-EV vehicles, people are buying them from Mohali and Panchkula, which ultimately leading to a loss to Chandigarh’s auto dealers.”
At loggerheads since July
The MC and the UT have been at loggerheads on the issue since July, with the civic body arguing that the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST), the nodal agency for implementing the EV policy, should have offered 100% revenue from the charging stations to them. The CREST was offering only 50% share. The MC said that since it is their space that is proposed to be used for setting up charging stations, they should be given the complete revenue share. The UT had subsequently sent a letter to the MC to allot the required space, and send a compliance report within 10 days. The notice mentioned that the letter has been sent with the approval of the UT administrator.
However, even when the MC remained silent and gave no written permission, the UT started installing the charging stations in the parking lots along Madhya Marg.
Notably, the city has 89 parking lots that are divided into two zones, of which UT plans to install EV charging stations in 44.
