E-vehicle policy soon in Odisha capital

Bhubaneswar: In a bid to promote eco-friendly and non-motorised public transport system in Odisha capital, the authorities have initiated a process for formulation of e-vehicle policy and implement it soon in the smart city.

The preparation has been started by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) for formulation of e-vehicle policy with support of International Finance Corporation (IFC), a wing of the World Bank Group.

A meeting has been held yesterday in this regard to discuss detailed study and analysis for implementation of the policy in Bhubaneswar. Attending the meeting, the experts and consultants presented initial findings of the market assessment study conducted in last two months and possible options to add to the policy before rolling out the plan in the city.

The experts explained the benefits of reduced operational cost in e-vehicles as compared to the diesel operated vehicles.

While the average cost per km in diesel vehicles including auto rickshaw is around Rs 2, it will be around 20 paisa only per km in e-vehicles, the experts said in the meeting. They also informed the officials about the incentives and schemes provided by both central and state governments.

The state government is collecting only 3 percent as the one time registration charge for e-vehicles, while the charge is 6 percent on the diesel vehicles. Similarly, the Centre under National Electric Mobility Mission offers subsidy and incentives through various schemes for e-vehicles.

The officials appointed by the IFC will prepare a plan for implementation of e-vehicles on pilot basis in Bhubaneswar smart city area which includes the information about infrastructures like possible operational model and charging point.