New Delhi, Sept. 3 -- Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday launched the capital's second automated vehicle testing station at Tehkhand depot in South Delhi.
Gupta also launched 50 new electric buses, bringing the total number of buses to 6,840, of which 5,088 are electric vehicles.
"Our government is continuously working towards clean mobility; the government is working on solutions for pollution. All these steps are to make Delhi pollution-free," the chief minister said, addressing a crowd.Delhi now has the country's largest electric bus fleet; the government aims to increase the city's bus fleet to around 14,000 buses by the financial year 2028-29, she added.
The chief minister further informed that Delhi's transport department is working on the '4S model' -Safety, Sustainability, Seamless connectivity and Smart infrastructure - in the transport sector.
"We have to keep safety for the public in buses a priority; the buses that we are launching have panic buttons and CCTV cameras. The Delhi government has the target to provide much better facilities to the public," Gupta said.
The newly inaugurated automated vehicle testing station has a vehicle testing capacity of 72,000 per year. Earlier, a testing station was launched at Nand Nagri bus depot. "The ATS will have an annual testing capacity of 72,000 vehicles, including 52,000 heavy and light motor vehicles and 20,000 two-wheelers. The entire testing process will be automated, reducing human intervention and improving accuracy and transparency in vehicle fitness assessment," Gupta said in a statement.
The ATS will conduct essential checks including braking capacity, suspension performance, headlight alignment, side-slip, emission levels and inspection of the underside of vehicles. Gupta noted that earlier, Delhi did not have adequate fitness testing facilities for a large number of commercial vehicles, forcing vehicle owners to travel to other parts of the national capital region for testing.
"Under the EV Policy, private vehicle owners will get several reliefs; our government is working to provide more infrastructural support like charging stations," she added.
Two new charging stations have been launched at Hassanpur and Gazipur bus depots, and both are located near the Anand Vihar bus terminal. The charging stations will expand access to EV charging infrastructure in the area and promote electric mobility.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.