City’s old diesel autos will be replaced with e-autos under Smart City Mission

Amritsar, September 26 (Punjab Post bureau) – In order to improve the city’s public transport and reduce pollution, Amritsar Smart City envisions to replace the old diesel autos plying in the city with E-Autos under the Smart City Mission. The project is being funded by the Amritsar Smart City Limited and French Development Agency (AFD) while being overseen by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). 

                  Giving the detail Smart City CEO Ms. Komal Mittal said that “Amritsar will be the first city in the country where E-autos will be made part of the public transport system on such a large scale. For which, significant subsidy will be provided to Auto Drivers along with easy access to loans at favourable terms”. In the first phase, it is proposed for replacement of approx. 7000 diesel autos and remaining operational diesel autos will be done in the next phase. The replaced Diesel auto rickshaws will be scrapped to prevent it from getting resold or reused. She said that E-Autos are more sustainable and futuristic in terms of technology in Comparison to CNG autos.  E-Autos will help in reducing the level of air pollution and noise pollution in Amritsar, at a significantly lower vehicle operation cost. Per Km. operational cost of diesel and CNG autos is Rs. 2.68 and Rs. 1.48. At the same time, e-auto is only 0.68 paise per km. The annual maintenance cost of diesel and CNG autos is Rs 16 thousand and 12 thousand respectively and for e-auto it is Rs 5000.

                  The Punjab government has also exempted the permit fees, motor vehicle tax and vehicle passing fees for E-autos, whereas no such discounts are provided to diesel and CNG autos. Keeping all these things in mind, and with the aim to promote environment friendly public transport, E-Autos have been chosen to replace the polluting diesel autos in Amritsar City. This project will not only help in reducing the pollution levels of the city, but will also increase the income of auto rickshaw drivers. CEO Smart City said that under this project, 20 to 25 locations in the city have been identified for setting up charging stations, for which EOI has already been floated. E-Autos are also superior to the currently available E-rickshaws in terms of maximum speed, engine power, battery life, passenger safety and comfort.  E-autos are certified by the International Centre for Automatic Technology and the Automotive Research Association of India. The lithium ion battery used in e-auto not only lasts three to four times longer than the lead acid battery used in e-rickshaws, but also takes half time to get fully charged. At the same time, the maximum speed of e-auto is also 50 km per hour double than the e-rickshaw.

                  Work on this project has been going on for the last one year. Considering the economic situation of auto-rickshaw drivers after the COVID19 and lockdown, the subsidy amount is being increased from the previously planned amount. So that auto-rickshaw drivers are more comfortable in buying e-auto and the scheme is scheduled for a grand launch in January 2021.