New Delhi EV policy to be out by July-end: Transport minister
Transport minister Pankaj Singh announced on Tuesday that all bus queue shelters in the city will be revamped within the next 100 days and the new electric vehicle (EV) policy will also be introduced by the end of July after being approved by the cabinet. The announcement comes after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Delhi government completed 100 days in the national Capital.
Singh was present at Urban Adda 2025, a three-day conference hosted by Raahgiri Foundation, and co-hosted by GuruJal and International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) India, from June 3 (World Bicycle Day) to June 5 (World Environment Day). HT is the media partner for the event.
'We have already floated tenders and the work will begin soon. Within the next 100 days, we will revamp all bus queue shelters that will have shaded waiting areas, drinking water facility, and sitting space,' he said.
Singh said that other commuter-centric efforts are being made to make Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses comfortable and user-friendly while a full-scale route rationalisation is being planned to ensure that government buses can cater to areas across the city.
'The DTC routes were last rationalised about 20-25 years ago and there are many routes now where buses run without any commuters. At other places, last mile connectivity is also a big concern that we are trying to resolve with the Devi (Delhi electric vehicle interconnector) buses. We are addressing all these gaps and will add more electric buses, both big and small. These routes were decided when Delhi was within the Ring Road while the city has expanded far beyond now,' the minister said.
He said that all new buses are equipped with CCTV cameras along with GPS to ensure the safety of passengers. While 800 more buses will be added to the DTC fleet by the end of June, over 8,000 new buses are expected by the end of this year, Singh added.
About the new EV policy for Delhi, the transport minister said the draft will soon be finalised. 'Experts are working on the EV policy. We will implement it by the end of next month after cabinet approval. I can assure that it will be beneficial for all segments of society,' he added.
To recall, the transport department highlighted in the previous week its achievement of the first 100 days of BJP governance and mentioned the launch of Devi bus service. Additionally, DTC is undergoing technological overhaul such as starting UPI and card-based automated fare collection system. Charging infrastructure is also being expanded with over 40 under construction public depots for EVs and a new bus terminal in Narela. In the transport department, AI-based transport documents verification has been initiated and an automated vehicle testing centre was started with a capacity to test over 72,000 vehicles annually.
Meanwhile, the minister also presented the draft cabinet note for Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) and Urban Transport Fund (UTF) that is expected to soon be submitted for approval, officials said. The department has also installed automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras at over 500 petrol pumps to help issuing challans related to pollution and end-of-life vehicles.
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