Chandigarh misses deadline to start EV charging stations

During a media interaction on March 8, Purohit assured that the work on 53 charging stations was almost complete and that they would become functional by the end of March

Despite assurances from UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit that all 53 electric vehicle charging stations would become functional in Chandigarh by March 31, the work has not yet been completed, and equipments have also been stolen from the installed charging stations.

In the past two months, unguarded electric vehicle (EV) charging stations set up across Chandigarh have been stolen and vandalised, resulting in equipment worth approximately ₹1 crore being lost. (HT File)

As per officials, it will take at least one more month to complete the work. TC Nautiyal, president of the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST), said three companies were allotted the work to install 53 charging stations in the city. Of these, two companies have installed around 40 charging stations, while one company has not even begun the work. Additionally, equipment, mainly the guns from the charging stations, has been stolen. The companies require some time to fix the equipment, leading to a delay of at least one month.

During a media interaction on March 8, Purohit assured that the work on 53 charging stations was almost complete and that they would become functional by the end of March.

In the past two months, unguarded electric vehicle (EV) charging stations set up across Chandigarh have been stolen and vandalised, resulting in equipment worth approximately ₹1 crore being lost. The first FIR pertained to thefts at charging stations at New Lake and Garden of Palms in Sector 42. The case was cracked on March 21 with the arrest of two scrap dealers who had bought the stolen equipment, worth over ₹1 crore, from five juveniles. Police officials noted that there are no CCTV cameras in the parking area of Sector 26 where the charging station is installed.

The UT administration rolled out the five-year EV policy in September 2022 with plans to gradually halt the registration of fuel-run vehicles to discourage people from buying vehicles that cause pollution. To promote EVs, the administration waived registration fees and road tax for five years, while owners of vehicles running on conventional fuels have to pay both. However, concerning public charging infrastructure, a key enabler for large-scale EV adoption, it failed to provide adequate charging stations.

Public charging stations were first set up in Chandigarh in 2018 under the Centre’s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme but eventually fell into disuse due to slow charging and UT’s failure to promote them. Additionally, a set of 23 new charging stations were installed in November 2022. However, UT failed to get them up and running. Meanwhile, owners of over 7,000 electric vehicles registered in the city over the past five years are forced to rely on home electricity before heading out on their commute.

A CREST officer said the work to install 44 more charging stations under the “Chandigarh developer mode” at various locations was underway. Of these, 30 had already been installed at various places. The official added that a MoU would be signed with the MC within a few days, following which a copy of the agreement would be sent to the electricity department to supply power to the already installed charging stations.