Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal jointly inaugurated 400 new electric buses on Tuesday, significantly increasing the total number of electric buses in the national capital to 800.
The flag-off ceremony took place at the IP Depot, marking a significant milestone in Delhi’s commitment to sustainable public transportation. During the event, Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot expressed his congratulations to the residents of Delhi for this achievement.
Chief Minister Kejriwal later shared a detailed breakdown of the budget allocation for these buses on a social media platform.
Flagged off 400 electric buses together with Hon’ble CM @arvindkejriwal ji. These 400 buses are the first tranche of the 1500 e buses being provided by the Govt of India under the FAME-II scheme for creating a robust & green public transport infrastructure in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/X0psRGFaqz
— LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) September 5, 2023
“In collaboration with the Honorable Lieutenant Governor, we have launched 400 new electric buses today, dedicated to the people of Delhi. These buses are part of the 921-bus initiative supported by a subsidy of Rs 417 crore from the Central Government, while the Delhi Government is investing Rs 3,674 crore,” Kejriwal explained in a Hindi post.
With this addition, Delhi now boasts the highest number of electric buses on its streets in the entire country. Kejriwal outlined an ambitious vision for the future, stating, “Our objective is to introduce a total of 8,000 electric buses in Delhi by the end of 2025. By that time, the city will have over 10,000 buses in its fleet, with 80 percent of them being electric.”
He concluded optimistically, “In the near future, Delhi will gain global recognition for its exceptional electric bus fleet.”
(With PTI inputs)
