City in top six polluted cities in Maharashtra; State EV policy
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The city ranked as one of the six most polluted cities in the state, is set to witness a significant transformation in its public transport system by 2025 as part of the Maharashtra Electric Vehicle Policy.
Under the provisions of the policy, it is mandated that at least 25 percent of public transport vehicles in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, along with five other polluted city groups, should be e-vehicles (EV) by 2025. These city groups include Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Amravati, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Nashik, all of which face severe pollution challenges. The emphasis is on reducing emissions and improving air quality by transitioning to environmentally friendly modes of transportation. The nodal department responsible for overseeing the implementation of this policy is the transport department.
What are the provisions
The policy's main objective is to ensure that by 2025, 10 percent of all new vehicle registrations in Maharashtra are EVs. Furthermore, a minimum of 25 percent of fleet operators, fleet consolidators, and customer delivery freight vehicles in the aforementioned city groups should also be EVs. This move is expected to significantly contribute to the reduction of pollution caused by the transportation sector.
Take Maharashtra to the top
The policy envisions Maharashtra as the leading state in India in terms of EV manufacturing capacity. It aims to create an ecosystem that encourages the establishment of EV manufacturing units, promoting local production and job creation within the state.