New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) Promising to tackle air pollution and traffic congestion in a phased manner, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday launched 400 electric buses and promised to induct another 2,080 of these smoke-free vehicles under the Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector (DEVI) scheme this year.

Speaking at the launch event, the CM highlighted her government’s commitment to give clean air to Delhiites but added that e-buses were just a part of the strategy, which also requires more and more private vehicles to go electric.

“We will come out with an EV policy to give incentives and encourage private vehicle owners to use these pollution-free vehicles,” she said.

The launch of the new fleet of nine-metre green mini-buses is a major step towards revolutionising the national capital’s public transport sector, counter pollution and providing last-mile connectivity to users of Metro.

The Chief Minister said she had allotted Rs 9,000 crore in the Budget for speeding up the adoption of electric vehicles and promised to boost the charging infrastructure and arrange facilities at bus depots.

“We will work at ‘Triple Engine Sarkar’ to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of ‘Viksit Delhi’,” she said.

Highlighting the problem of traffic jams, she said, “I, myself, was caught in a jam while coming to this event and could feel the frustration that any other vehicle owner suffers due to congestion on the road.”

“We will draft a strategy to tackle pollution and traffic congestion,” she said.

To highlight the launch of the new buses, the CM also posted a message on social media saying, “Let us go, join this green change, because electric is the voice of the future.”

She said in her message, “DEVI is coming to give a new direction of greenery to every heartbeat of Delhi! 400 new electric buses. No smoke, no noise. Just a quiet, clean and smart journey from this 2nd May, Delhi will not just run but will also change, because every corner of Delhi will be connected to the Metro!”

Referring to the name given to the new e-bus fleet, she said, “DEVI represents the godly blessing that has given the city the power to withstand the bad times earlier. But now the city will move ahead fast.”

Earlier, the launch of the new buses on April 22 was postponed due to the national mourning on the demise of Pope Francis.

On Friday, the launch of 400 buses was presided over by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra and Delhi Transport Minister Pankaj Singh also attended the event along with other Delhi Cabinet ministers.

The green-coloured buses, which were earlier proposed to be named ‘Mohalla Buses’ by the previous AAP government, were undergoing trial runs on half a dozen routes over the past few months.

Pankaj Singh said that the free travel facility for women shall continue in the new buses, which will follow the existing fare chart followed in the bigger 12-metre-long buses.

The mini-electric bus service promises to offer relief to citizens living in congested areas, as these are capable of moving easily on narrow roads. Each DEVI bus will have 23 seats and space for 13 standing passengers.

With routes not longer than 12 km and a charging time of less than an hour, the DEVI buses, modelled on Delhi Metro’s feeder buses, are likely to bring commuters from interior streets to wider arterial roads that are serviced by Delhi Transport Corporation’s longer 12-metre buses.

Officials said the first batch of Devi buses will operate from the Ghazipur, Nangloi, and East Vinod Nagar depots.

–IANS

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