On the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, High Power Committee was formed to implement the Uttarakhand Clean Mobility Transformation Policy-2024 brought by the state government to reduce the increasing air pollution in the cities of the state and to provide convenience and comfortable travel to the common people. has been formed. In the government order issued on Friday by Transport Secretary Arvind Singh Hayanki, a six-member High Power Committee has been formed under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, which will do the work of policy formulation and monitoring. At the same time, the second committee formed under the chairmanship of the Transport Commissioner will work on the implementation of the policy. According to Uttarakhand Clean Mobility Transformation Policy-2024, old diesel-powered and polluting vehicles will be phased out from all the cities of the state by the year 2027.
Under the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA), the state government had started preparations a year ago to reduce air pollution in all the cities of the state. Under this, first of all preparations are being made to phase out the diesel-powered city buses and Vikrams running in the cities. In place of diesel buses, CNG powered or electric buses will run in the cities. For this, City Transport Corporation will be formed in the cities, which will be under the Transport Corporation. The government has decided to provide 50 percent subsidy (maximum Rs 15 lakh) on scrapping old commercial diesel vehicles and purchase of new vehicles.
Not only this, if a commercial vehicle operator does not scrap his vehicle and operates it in another state by giving NOC, then he will get a maximum subsidy of Rs 12 lakh. This subsidy will be on 25 to 32 seater city buses.
Secretary Transport Arvind Singh Hayanki said that in accordance with the instructions given by the National Green Authority to reduce air pollution and with the aim of providing convenient travel services to the general public, it was decided to phase out diesel-powered city buses and Vikrams. Is. CNG or electric buses will be operated in their place. There is a plan to operate buses on all the diesel city buses whose permits are currently approved. City buses will be run to all those areas of the city where there is no bus service. Omni bus permits will be given in exchange for Vikram.
Chief Secretary Chairman of High Power Committee
The Chief Secretary will be the chairman of the High Power Committee formed to implement the Uttarakhand Clean Mobility Transformation Policy-2024. In this, Principal Secretary/Secretary Transport is the convenor while four members include Principal Secretary/Secretary Finance, Principal Secretary/Secretary Urban Development, Member Secretary Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board and Commissioner Transport. Apart from this, in the committee formed for the implementation of the policy, the Transport Commissioner has been made the chairman, while the Additional/Joint Transport Commissioner has been made the convenor. In this committee, Additional Secretary Finance along with Director Urban Development and Divisional Transport Officer (Administration) Dehradun have been made members.
Subsidy on one bus instead of four Vikrams
According to the Mobility Transformation Policy-2024, if a Vikram operator wants to get bus permit and subsidy by scrapping his vehicle, then he will have to get four Vikrams scrapped. According to the government, this condition will be valid only when the Vikram operator presents the scrap certificate of four Vikrams. If the vehicle is not scrapped by the Vikram operator, then he will be given NOC for another state.
Benefits of two schemes will not be available simultaneously
Transporters taking subsidy under the Uttarakhand Clean Mobility Transformation Policy-2024 of the government will get benefits only according to this scheme. If, along with this subsidy, he wants to take a loan on the vehicle from other public welfare schemes of the government or Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Tourism Scheme, then he will not get the benefit.
Benefits will be available only for one year
The benefit of 50 percent subsidy on scrapping old diesel commercial vehicles and purchasing new CNG vehicles will be available only till March 14, 2025, i.e. for one year. The government has clarified that this scheme will be valid only for one year from the implementation of the government order.
That is, after March 14, 2025, if anyone wants to get subsidy on CNG bus by scrapping city bus or Vikram, then he will not get the benefit. However, the High Power Committee has been given the authority to decide on increasing the benefits of the scheme.
Present status of city buses in Doon
-319 permits for city buses have been approved in the city, but only 178 buses are operating.
-Before the Corona period, 279 city buses were operating till March 2020.
-The radius fixed for city buses in the city is 35 km.
-Every day about 40 thousand passengers travel in city buses.
-The condition of the buses is so bad that tourists do not like to sit in them.
Diesel auto-Vikram not out yet
On November 1, 2022, the Transport Department had decided to exclude diesel-powered Vikram and autos from Rishikesh, Vikasnagar and Haridwar including Doon. It was decided that Diesel Vikram-Autos which are more than ten years old will not run after 31st March-2023 while Diesel Vikram-Autos which are less than ten years old will not run after 31st December-2023.
It was decided to run CNG and petrol powered Tata Magic in their place. Vikram and the auto operators reached the High Court in protest against the decision. The matter is still pending in the High Court. Meanwhile, the Transport Department has now started preparations to phase out diesel-powered city buses as well.
