New Delhi, Nov. 14 -- In a major boost to Delhi's anti-pollution efforts, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday laid the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art Automated Testing Station (ATS) at the DTC Tehkhand Depot and flagged off 50 new electric buses. Calling the initiative a decisive step towards "a cleaner, greener, and more transparent transport system," the Chief Minister said the government had delivered record progress in just eight months, adding 1,350 new e-buses, compared to just 2,000 buses in the previous 11 years.
The event marks one of the strongest interventions this year to curb vehicular emissions, a key contributor to Delhi's pollution problem.
Speaking at the launch, the Chief Minister said the new ATS represents "historic improvement in Delhi's transport system" and will significantly strengthen pollution-control efforts. She highlighted that Delhi has nearly 6.5 lakh commercial vehicles requiring annual fitness certification, yet the city operated for years with only one centre at Jhundpura, with a limited capacity of 47,000 tests per year.
"Commercial vehicles are among the biggest contributors to pollution in Delhi. Robust, technology-driven emission testing is essential for effective pollution control," she said.
The new Tehkhand ATS, Delhi's second fully automated centre, will have an annual capacity of 73,000 vehicles, doubling the city's total automated fitness-testing capability. The first ATS at Nand Nagri is also nearing completion with a capacity of around 72,000 vehicles per year.
The Chief Minister said previous administrations left the city's transport system in "deep disarray," forcing lakhs of vehicle owners to travel to NCR for fitness checks. In contrast, the current government, she said, had put in place "modern, transparent, and fully digital systems" to overhaul fitness certification with zero human intervention.
Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh said the Tehkhand ATS, built at a cost of Rs 10 crore, will conduct automated digital checks of brakes, suspension, emissions, underbody components and headlights. "The facility is expected to generate annual revenue of around Rs 3 crore," he said.
Upgradation of Burari and Jhundpura centres is also underway, and once complete, Delhi will be able to conduct over one lakh automated fitness tests annually.
Alongside the ATS foundation-laying, the Chief Minister flagged off 50 new electric buses, 30 twelve-metre and 20 nine-metre low-floor AC buses, equipped with CCTV cameras, panic buttons, GPS tracking, and accessibility features.
Highlighting the government's accelerated pace, Gupta said: "While the previous government added only 2,000 electric buses in 11 years, we have inducted 1,350 e-buses in just eight months." She added that discontinued interstate bus services and university special buses have been revived to support commuters and students.
Reaffirming her commitment to clean mobility, the Chief Minister said metro expansion, growth of the e-bus fleet, ATS rollout, and technology-driven governance are the backbone of Delhi's future. "The challenges are many, but our determination is unwavering. Our effort to improve Delhi every single day will continue without pause," she said.
The government expects the new ATS and the fresh fleet of e-buses to play a major role in reducing emissions, strengthening public transport, and moving Delhi closer to its vision of a modern, environmentally responsible capital.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.