328 e-buses approved for Chandigarh under central scheme
The decision was made by the Central Sanctioning and Steering Committee (CSSC) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), which sanctioned 2,079 e-buses nationwide. While cities like Tirupati and Jaipur received 300 buses each, Chandigarh stood out not only for its numbers but also as the only Union Territory to make the cut.
This massive boost aligns perfectly with Chandigarh's vision to phase out diesel buses and transition to a fully electric fleet.
With 80 e-buses already on the roads and 328 more on the way, nearly the entire Tri-city fleet of 400 buses will soon be electric—ushering in a new era of clean, quiet, and cost-effective public transport, officials said.
And the best part? Not a single rupee will be spent by the Chandigarh administration on procuring these buses, as the funding comes directly from the central government.
Sources in the administration revealed that 100 additional e-buses are pending approval in the Punjab and Haryana high court.
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Once cleared, these will further expand the fleet and open up new routes to serve more passengers.
The ministry's approval, formalized in a memorandum dated August 6, follows a meeting held on July 24, 2025. Of the 4,886 buses requested by states and UTs, only 2,079 met the eligibility criteria—and Chandigarh led the pack.
Kataria's push pays off
The approval follows a strong pitch by Punjab governor and Chandigarh administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, who met the Union minister of housing and urban affairs last month to advocate for the buses.
With many of CTU and CCBSS's diesel buses nearing the 15-year retirement mark, the timing couldn't be better.
Mohali joins the green ride
The Mohali district in Punjab also received the sanction of 100 electric buses under the SAS Cluster in the CSSC meeting of the MoHUA. Only district in the state to receive the ministry's nod, Mohali will have an electric bus service for passengers. Besides Chandigarh and Mohali, no other city or district in the region (Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh) received approval for electric buses.
**Box for Graphic: Eligible Cities as per Pre-Qualification Criteria**
| Cities | States | Buses Sanctioned |
|--------|--------|------------------|
| Bikaner | Rajasthan | 50 |
| Sikar | Rajasthan | 50 |
| Jaipur | Rajasthan | 300 |
| Alwar | Rajasthan | 50 |
| Jodhpur | Rajasthan | 25 |
| Warangal | Telangana | 100 |
| Nizamabad | Telangana | 51 |
| SAS Nagar (Cluster) | Punjab | 100 |
| Gandhidham | Gujarat | 80 |
| Navsari | Gujarat | 50 |
| Vadodara | Gujarat | 150 |
| Gandhinagar | Gujarat | 50 |
| Shillong | Meghalaya | 5 |
| Indore | Madhya Pradesh | 120 |
| Bhopal | Madhya Pradesh | 95 |
| Jabalpur | Madhya Pradesh | 100 |
| Satna | Madhya Pradesh | 20 |
| Dewas | Madhya Pradesh | 55 |
| Tirupati | Andhra Pradesh | 300 |
| Chandigarh | Chandigarh | 328 |
**Total: 2,079** MSID:: 123218519 413 |
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