Chandigarh: Giving a new direction to green public transport in Haryana, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday inaugurated an Electric Bus Depot in Panipat and flagged off 80 electric city buses.
On this occasion, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said that a new era of clean, modern and environment-friendly transport has begun in Haryana from the historic and sacred land of Panipat. He said that out of the 80 electric buses flagged off on Thursday, 40 buses have been allocated for Panipat, 15 for Yamunanagar, 10 each for Kurukshetra and Sonipat, and 5 for Panchkula. He said these are not merely buses, but the beginning of a clean, convenient and modern future for Haryana.
The Chief Minister said that a state-of-the-art electric bus depot has been developed in Panipat at a cost of about Rs. 7 crore. Besides this, electric bus depots are under construction in 8 other districts of the state, where modern charging facilities for buses will also be provided. Strengthening public transport is among the top priorities of the government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the nation the vision of ‘Green India’, ‘Net Zero’ and ‘Sustainable Development’. The entire world is moving towards environmental protection and green energy. The Prime Minister has called for reducing the consumption of petrol and diesel and promoting electric mobility, and the Haryana Government is working to implement this vision on the ground.
The Chief Minister said that electric bus services will reduce dependence on petrol and diesel, lower pollution and provide people with safe, comfortable and modern travel facilities.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said that Haryana City Bus Service Limited is working towards making urban life more convenient and environment-friendly. Recently, under Haryana Vision-2047, the roadmap for transport services for the next five years was reviewed. Considering the rapidly growing urban areas, instructions have been issued to increase the number of local buses in cities.
He said that the government is also working on integrating buses with a tracking system on the lines of the Railways, through which passengers will be able to get information regarding bus location and arrival time through a mobile application. Along with this, 10 new electric bus stands will be constructed within one year and more electric buses will be purchased in the future.
The Chief Minister said that more and more electric buses will be operated in every district and city, and traffic stations will also be established in the state under PPP mode. He informed that at present, city bus services are available in 10 major cities including Panipat, Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panchkula and Rohtak. With the addition of 80 new buses to the existing fleet of 75 e-buses, the total number has now increased to 155.
He further said that 650 standard floor AC buses are being introduced for metropolitan cities like Gurugram and Faridabad. Apart from this, 50 new electric express buses will be purchased for routes including Chandigarh-Delhi Airport-Gurugram and Chandigarh to religious destinations such as Katra, Salasar, Khatu Shyam, Haridwar and Amritsar.
Addressing the youth, the Chief Minister said that India is rapidly changing and Haryana is also progressing swiftly towards modern technology and smart mobility. There are immense opportunities for employment and investment in the electric vehicle sector. Thousands of new jobs will be created in the coming years in the fields of e-vehicle manufacturing, battery technology, charging stations and green technology.
He said that Haryana State Transport, while fulfilling its social responsibility, is providing free or concessional travel facilities to 39 categories of people including senior citizens, freedom fighters, divyangjans, cancer patients and students. Under the Happy Yojana, poor families are being given the benefit of free travel up to 1,000 kilometres annually in Haryana Roadways buses. He further announced that on the lines of Haryana Roadways, students will get the bus pass facility in Haryana’s Electric Buses as well.
Haryana Development and Panchayats Minister Krishan Lal Panwar said that this modern electric bus depot, built at a cost of more than Rs. 7 crore, reflects the government’s visionary thinking and commitment towards public welfare. He said that the state government is continuously strengthening transport facilities and the common people are benefiting from it.
Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda said that operation of electric buses is an important and historic initiative towards environmental protection. He said that these buses will help reduce carbon emissions by lakhs of kilograms and strengthen pollution control efforts.
Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Bhatia, Panipat Urban MLA Parmod Vij, Samalkha MLA Manmohan Bhadana, BJP State President Archana Gupta and several other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
