On Monday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched the first electric bus in Delhi, over more than three years after the AAP supremo had claimed that over 1,000 electric buses would be plying the roads of the national capital by June 2019.
The Delhi Transport Corporation introduced the electric bus, which is built by JBM Auto. By mid-February, DTC expects to introduce 50 electric buses, with the goal of having 300 additional E Buses on Delhi roads by April. Kailash Gehlot, the Delhi Transport Minister, and Neeraj Semwal, the DTC’s CMD, were also present at the occasion.
सभी दिल्लीवासियों को बधाई।
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 17, 2022
आज से दिल्ली की सड़कों पर पहली इलेक्ट्रिक बस चलनी शुरू हो गई है। DTC के बेड़े में जल्द ही 300 इलेक्ट्रिक बसें जुड़ेंगी।
आप भी अपने वाहन को इलेक्ट्रिक में स्विच कर प्रदूषण के ख़िलाफ़ इस जंग में अपना योगदान ज़रूर दें। pic.twitter.com/7M2nTuvnsc
“It’s an important measure to control pollution, 300 such E-buses will start by April, the target is to reach 2,000” CM Kejriwal said in the event. “We’re planning charging infrastructure from the past 2 years & have adequate infrastructure for bus charging in the city.” Transport Minister Gehlot added.
Kejriwal had targeted to deploy over 1,000 electric buses in Delhi by June 2019
It is worth noting that the first electric bus hit the streets of Delhi more than 3 years after Kejriwal had claimed that by June 2019 over 1,000 electric buses will be plying on the roads of the national capital.
In a tweet dated 12 July 2018, Kejriwal shared a news report that said the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi would deploy over 1,000 electric buses by June 2019.
Interestingly, while Kejriwal declared to run 1,000 electric buses in Delhi by June 2019, the tenders for 140 electric buses were issued more than two years after the slated date, in October 2021. Tenders were floated by the Delhi transport department in October last year for the induction of 140 low-floor, air-conditioned electric buses, with the objective of reinforcing the public transport fleet and keeping the growing pollution of the city under check.
