The transport department of Kolkata has prepared a roadmap for switching to electric mode in public transportation sector in the metro city by 2030.
At the C40 World Mayors' summit in Copenhagen, West Bengal transport secretary, Narayan Swaroop Nigam echoed Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim's statement and said, "Our plan is to completely shift to electric mode by 2030. We already have our tram network and a formidable metro network across the city is also coming up soon.”
Kolkata bagged the prestigious C40 award in Copenhagen for green mobility - low carbon commute transition- on Thursday. The award was received by Mayor Firhad Hakim. Seven winners of the 2019 C40 cities were announced by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
After receiving the award, Mayor Firhad Hakim said, “West Bengal Transport Corporation has already introduced a fleet of electric buses that connects Kolkata and its expansive suburbs. WBTC plans to have an entire city fleet of 5,000 electric buses by 2030. This would bring down per annum CO2 emmission by 782,560 tonnes. Under FAME-II (faster adoption and manufacturing of electric vehicles) scheme, we have already placed order for 300 more electric buses. All these e-buses will replace old polluting buses. The shift will be gradual."
Already 80 electric buses are plying across Kolkata. Soon, New Town, which is also the booming IT-hub of Kolkata, will see 50 e-buses, The Times of India reported. "We are also bringing in 100 more e-buses for Haldia and Durgapur-Asansol. Completing a 100 per cent shift is a decade-long process," The Times of India quoted a senior transport department officer.
Not just buses, the West Bengal Transport department is also looking out for ways soon commence battery-run ferry services along the Hooghly. The vessels which are one of the pivotal and cheapest mode of transport for thousands of passengers are big diesel guzzlers and highly polluting. "We are already in conversation with a number of e-vessel manufacturers," the report quoted an officer saying. The West Bengal government is ready with a plan of setting up 241 charging stations for electric vehicles in Kolkata Metropolitan Area.
“It will be a remarkable step. The City of Joy could act as a light-house for other metro cities in the country,” Alekhya Datta, Fellow & Area Convenor, Electricity and Fuels Division, TERI said.
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