Guwahati, Jan 1: With the New Year spirit across the state, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on the first day of the New Year launched 200 EV buses for the people of Guwahati.
The government has taken this decision keeping in view the aspect of air pollution in Guwahati.
Unlike CNG-powered buses, these buses will ply on a total of 13 routes in Guwahati starting today.
Furthermore, charging stations have been set up at several places, including Mirza and Jagiroad.
As per sources, CCTV cameras have also been installed inside the bus for the safety of passengers. This arrangement has been done mainly keeping in mind the aspect of women's safety. Moreover, GPS tracking has also been arranged for traffic control.
Speaking at the launch of these buses, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "In 2023, we started the New Year by gifting 100 CNG buses. Continuing with the same tradition, this year we want to start the New Year by gifting 200 electric buses to the people of Guwahati.”.
"Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing the whole world today. This initiative, which we launched on the first day of the New Year, proves the commitment of the Government of Assam to a transparent, green and sustainable future,” he added.
CM Sarma also informed that, apart from the municipal areas, this bus service will cover Chandrapur, Dharapur, Mirza, AIIMS Guwahati, Sualkuchi, Baihata and Jagiroad.
He also mentioned that “the state government has spent Rs 261 crore on this service. Meanwhile, charging stations have been set up at Rupnagar, ISBT, Betkuchi, Mirza, Baihata, and Jagiroad in Guwahati to charge these electric buses. Several of these have already been activated.”
According to CM Sarma, diesel-run bus services will be stopped as soon as 500 such buses start plying and the cabinet has decided to convert Guwahati's public transport into electric vehicles by 2025.
