New Delhi [India], January 16 : Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday called on Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, at New Delhi and urged him to provide special relaxations for hill states under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme, citing operational challenges arising from difficult geographical conditions.
The Chief Minister apprised the Union Minister that no specific relaxations have been extended to hill states under the scheme, which has limited Himachal Pradesh's ability to avail its benefits despite the State's strong commitment towards green and sustainable mobility. He informed that under the existing norms of the scheme, only Shimla is eligible for coverage, as it applies to cities with a population of over ten lakh.
He emphasised that several urban local bodies in the State, including Dharamshala, Mandi, Solan, Palampur, Hamirpur, Una and Baddi, are rapidly emerging as major hubs of economic activity and human resource development. He requested that suitable relaxations be made in the population criteria to enable Himachal Pradesh to benefit comprehensively from the scheme.
The Chief Minister stated that the State Government aims to replace diesel buses on feasible routes with electric buses to reduce air and noise pollution. He informed that the Government has resolved to replace 1,500 diesel buses with electric buses in a phased manner. As part of this initiative, the State is in the process of procuring 297 electric buses during the current year under the CAPEX model from its own resources.
Highlighting operational challenges in hilly terrain, the Chief Minister urged the Union Minister to reduce the daily assured mileage under the OPEX model to 150 kilometres per bus in Himachal Pradesh to ensure realistic and achievable targets. He further requested a revision of the current operational assistance of Rs. 22 per kilometre to Rs. 52 per kilometre for hill states, enabling State transport undertakings to operate electric buses without incurring operational losses.
He also urged for a No Objection Certificate (NoC) from BBMB for transfer and allotment of 47 bigha of surplus vacant land at Sundernagar for the 'Integrated office' of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) to ease its functioning, as it is located in different locations of the State as of now.
He also suggested that capital assistance should be linked to the actual mileage achieved in order to incentivise better performance and ensure equitable reimbursement. Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar assured the Chief Minister of all possible assistance to the State. Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister Ram Subhag Singh, Secretary to the Chief Minister Rakesh Kanwar and other senior officers of the State Government accompanied the Chief Minister during the meeting.