Mumbai, Aug. 21 -- The state government is considering changes to the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR) to make electric vehicle (EV) charging points mandatory in parking lots of new buildings while encouraging existing societies to make space for these stations in exchange for concessions on electricity charges and taxes. The transport department recently wrote to the urban development department, seeking changes to the UDCPR. "We proposed that plans for new buildings should not be approved unless a separate plan for charging spots is in place. The government expects the UDCPR changes to take effect next financial year, after a EV policy review by year-end," an industries department official said. "If 50% of the residents demand space for a charging station, the society will have to allot it." The state EV policy has a 'EV Charging Station Incentive' mechanism for societies. Eligibility and incentive amount depend on the charging station's category or type and applicable operational guidelines. Transport department officials said that existing distribution points (DPs) in housing societies are not designed to bear the additional load, and upgrading these to higher capacity is expensive. "Upgrading DPs for one charging station with 10 charging points costs around Rs.40 lakh, which is unaffordable for most societies. We expect the energy department to offer concessions and local bodies to provide tax concessions," they said. Urban development department (UDD) officials confirmed that they are working on a proposal to amend the UDCPR....