Unable to find 98 EVs with transport permit on contract basis, BMC will settle for CNG cars
In its fleet of 500 cars including owned and on contract basis, BMC has inducted only one EV car, which was procured in 2021
Even as Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had formed a task force on dust mitigation to reduce pollution, it has been unsuccessful in procuring electric vehicles (EV) on contract basis. Unable to find EV cars, one of the richest civic bodies in the nation has instead decided to settle for 98 CNG cars which it will procure on contract basis. Ironically, these cars running on conventional fuels will be used by the dust mitigation task force to patrol the wards.
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As per the EV policy declared by the state government in 2021, in order to boost the EVs in the state, it decided to convert all conventional fuel cars in the service of government departments and local-self-government bodies into EVs. As per the policy, after April 2022 it is mandatory for the government bodies to procure only EVs, irrespective of whether it is purchased or on contract basis.
In May 2023 BMC signed a deal with contractors to provide 299 CNG cars and now BMC floated tender for 98 cars on contract basis for a period of seven months. BMC will be spending Rs 3.36 crore for these cars. According to a BMC official, it is the unavailability of EV cars with transport permits that forced it to settle for the CNG cars.
“Most of the EV cars are in the service of app-based taxi service and other taxi services. We made enquiries with the regional transport offices in Mumbai and in the metropolitan region to source the EV cars and found that there are not many EV cars. We have now made short-term contracts for seven months instead of 1 to 3 year contracts. We intend to phase out the CNG cars once we start getting EVs,” said the official. There are about 200 cars owned by BMC which are used for high-ranking officials, the Mayor and the office-bearers. The BMC procures about 300 cars on contract basis.
BMC to purchase 35 electric vehicles
BMC has decided to purchase 35 EVs meant to be used by its officials. Each car comes with a price tag of Rs 18 lakh to Rs 19 lakh and it will be spending Rs 7 crore for this acquisition. There is one EV in the BMC fleet which has been contracted from Energy Efficiency Service Limited, a PSU.
500
Number of cars in BMC fleet
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