Munish Sood
Mandi
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday virtually flagged off 25 new Type-I electric bus services of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) for Mandi district, marking another step towards expanding the state’s electric public transport network.
The services were launched from Paddal Ground in Mandi town as part of the state government’s efforts to promote cleaner and more environment-friendly public transportation.
The Chief Minister said the government had procured 297 Type-I electric buses to strengthen HRTC’s electric fleet. These buses are already operating in Shimla, Nahan, Nalagarh, Una, Haroli, Bilaspur, Dehra, Hamirpur, Palampur, Dharamshala and Nagrota. With charging infrastructure now developed in Kullu, Mandi and Sundernagar, additional electric bus services are also being introduced in these areas.
According to the Chief Minister, the Type-I electric buses have a prescribed range of around 180 km at 80 per cent state of charge (SoC). He said their operational performance had been encouraging, citing the Shimla-Chandigarh route where an electric bus has been covering nearly 270 km on a single charge.
He said the shift to electric buses was also helping HRTC reduce its operating expenditure. Compared with conventional diesel buses, electric buses were generating savings of around ₹12-13 per kilometre in energy costs, he said.
The Chief Minister said the expansion of electric mobility would help reduce carbon emissions and dependence on fossil fuels while improving the efficiency of public transport in the state. He added that further expansion of charging infrastructure would be crucial to supporting the growing electric fleet.
On HRTC’s financial position, Sukhu said the state government provides buses to the corporation besides extending an annual grant-in-aid of ₹840 crore. He said HRTC also generates revenue of a similar amount through its own resources.
The government, he said, has set a target of making HRTC self-reliant within the next five years. He further announced plans to procure 1,000 additional electric buses and 200 hydrogen-powered buses in the coming years.
The Chief Minister said the concept of a “Green Himachal” had been envisioned in the state government’s first budget and that the expansion of electric bus services was an important component of that vision.
Additional Chief Secretary Omkar Chand Sharma and HRTC Managing Director Shivam Pratap Singh were present at the programme in Shimla.
In Mandi, HRTC Vice Chairman Ajay Verma, APMC Chairman Sanjeev Guleria, Vice Chairman of the Jal Prabandhan Board Shashi Sharma, District Congress Committee Mandi President Champa Thakur and other dignitaries attended the virtual programme.
