Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday said his government would replace 3,000 state-run buses in Hyderabad with electric buses over the next two years as part of efforts to reduce pollution in the city.
Speaking at an event organised by the transport department to mark the Congress government's first anniversary, Reddy stated that 90% of the 3,000 Road Transport Corporation buses operating in Hyderabad and its surrounding areas run on diesel.
He emphasised that pollution cannot be controlled if these diesel buses continue to operate, and therefore, the government plans to relocate the diesel buses elsewhere while introducing 3,000 electric buses within two years.
Reddy also suggested to Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar the implementation of a special scheme for auto-rickshaw owners in Hyderabad to transition to electric autos, with efforts to shift diesel autos outside the city.
Commenting on pollution in other major cities, the chief minister referred to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's reported remarks that he avoids visiting Delhi due to its severe pollution, which often leads him to catch infections.
He wondered "whether Delhi is still a liveable city." Reddy noted that while Hyderabad fares better than cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata in terms of pollution and infrastructure challenges, pollution levels are rising in the city.
The CM highlighted the state government's 'scrap policy,' which aims to retire vehicles that exceed their lifetime, and announced a 100% exemption from registration fees for electric vehicles.
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