NEW DELHI, Feb 20: The Delhi government has started scrapping its old petrol and diesel vehicles and replacing these with electric vehicles in its bid to fight against air pollution for which the national capital has become notorious. The General Administration Department (GAD) has recently procured 12 electric vehicles to be used by ministers and top officers of the Delhi government.
“We have also started the process to identify and send such vehicles that have completed their lifespan for scrapping,” said a senior GAD officer. According to a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order, the use of diesel and petrol vehicles older than 10 years and 15 years respectively is banned in Delhi.
After the launch of the Electric Vehicle Policy in August 2020, various departments and autonomous bodies of the Delhi government have started replacing old petrol and diesel vehicles in their fleets with electric vehicles. “It is being done on case-to-case basis keeping in mind the relatively higher prices of electric vehicles as compared to conventional vehicles,” said a senior Delhi government officer.
In February last year, the Delhi government had directed all its departments and autonomous bodies to hire or purchase only electric vehicles for their fleets. “All departments of the Delhi government will now use only electric vehicles. Over 2,000 petrol and diesel vehicles will be replaced with electric vehicles,” Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said.
The GAD is also working on replacement of several old vehicles with VIP series of registration numbers like 0001 parked in a lot near the Delhi Secretariat. “While these vehicles will be scrapped, their VIP registration numbers will be retained for registration of new vehicles to be procured by the department,” the officer said. Under Delhi’s Electric Vehicle Policy, 12 four-wheeler models are available and eligible for purchase and scrapping incentives provided by the government.
(Manas Dasgupta)
