Chandigarh, Dec. 16 -- With an ambitious target of achieving one of the highest zero-emission vehicle adoption rates in the country by 2027, Chandigarh has received 15 electric buses out of the first lot of 25 sanctioned under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme. Officials of the UT transport department said the remaining 10 buses from the first lot are expected to arrive by next week. They added that Chandigarh has become the first city in India to receive delivery of 12-metre, low-floor, air-conditioned electric buses under the scheme. Each bus offers a driving range of around 224 km on a single charge and has a floor height of 400 mm to ensure easy boarding for senior citizens and women. The buses are equipped with power-operated ramps and an electronically controlled kneeling mechanism to facilitate access for persons with disabilities (PwDs), including wheelchair users. Featuring air suspension at both the front and rear, the buses have a seating capacity of 36 passengers and standing space for 20 commuters, in addition to the driver and a designated wheelchair area. For enhanced safety and monitoring, cameras have been installed at both passenger doors to count boarding and alighting passengers. Four additional CCTV cameras have also been fitted-two covering the passenger saloon, one monitoring driver behaviour and one functioning as a reverse camera. The buses are further equipped with GPS devices, panic buttons for emergencies, and passenger information display systems at the front, side and rear. Officials said the buses have voice-enabled internal passenger information systems that announce upcoming stops, along with stop-request buttons installed on alternate stanchions to improve commuter convenience. To strengthen clean public transport, a total of 100 electric buses have been approved for Chandigarh under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme. As per the delivery schedule, another batch of 25 buses is expected by the end of January, while the remaining 50 buses are likely to be delivered by the end of February or early March next year. Meanwhile, 85 diesel buses operating on tricity routes were taken off the road on November 19 after completing their stipulated operational lifespan of 15 years. To ensure uninterrupted services, the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) diverted diesel buses from long-distance routes to operate within the city. The CTU had procured 100 buses under the JnNURM-I scheme in 2010. Of these, 85 buses from depot-4 have completed their service life, while the remaining buses are scheduled to be condemned in February next year. In a further boost to Chandigarh's clean mobility drive, the Centre has recently approved 328 additional electric buses under the PM e-Bus Service Scheme. With this approval, the total number of electric buses sanctioned for the city has risen to 428, marking a significant step towards Chandigarh's goal of becoming a carbon-free city....