Delhi's MCD's electric vehicle fleet gathers dust
The subject came up during the recent MCD standing committee meeting, where Vasant Kunj councillor Jagmohan Mehlawat expressed concern at the prolonged disuse of the EVs. 'When the central govt is promoting electric mobility to curb pollution, why have these vehicles remained unutilised? Were they distributed to officials? If so, why aren't they being used, especially after crores of rupees were spent on their procurement?' he asked.
A visit by TOI to the Civic Centre basement on Friday revealed rows of electric vehicles parked side by side along with a few fuel-based ones. All were labelled 'Government of India' and appeared unused, covered in layers of dust and clearly lacking maintenance. Several vehicles showed signs of wear and tear, with a few in visibly dilapidated condition, signifying their prolonged neglect.
The fleet was procured in 2018 by the erstwhile South Delhi Municipal Corporation and includes 75 EVs, of which 32 were procured in the first batch and 43 in the second. In collaboration with the New Delhi Municipal Council, charging stations were also installed at over 30 prime locations across the city to support the transition towards cleaner alternatives in transportation.
While MCD officially declined to comment on why the vehicles remained unused, sources within the corporation suggested that technical glitches had rendered many of the cars non-functional and officials reportedly believed that restoring the fleet would not prove cost-effective. Because of this, the EVs were unlikely to be repurposed. Instead of procuring a new batch of vehicles, MCD is now considering rental-based EV services as a more practical and economical option.
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