Electric taxi tested on ghat road

Tirupati: As a prelude to introduce battery operated taxis in the pilgrim city, a test run of electric vehicle was held on Thursday on Tirumala ghat road. Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) Commissioner PS Girisha along with senior officials travelled in the electric vehicle on the trial run on the ghat road.

Speaking on the occasion, Girisha said plans are afoot to introduce battery-operated taxis replacing the fuel operated vehicles ferrying pilgrims so as to check raising air pollution in the city.

The MCT would tie up with the banks and TTD to lend the required financial support to the private passenger vehicle operators to switch over to the electrical vehicles, he said informing that two auto majors Mahindra and Tata came forward to provide required number of battery-operated vehicles.

Each battery-fitted vehicle would cost about Rs 11 lakh, the commissioner said the Corporation would take the initiative for bank loans to the taxi operators payable in instalments in five or six years.

Simultaneously, he said the Corporation will take efforts for promoting battery operated autos replacing fuel operated ones intensifying its green concept to check growing pollution.

This apart, the Corporation decided to acquire 15 battery-operated vehicles for official use, Commissioner said adding that already 115 battery-operated vehicles were provided to the staff working in the Corporation.

Recharge facility required for the battery vehicles will be established in select places including civic office and some more places in the city for the convenient of the battery-fitted taxies.

Stating that the TTD is already having 50 battery-operated buses while the SPDCL 35 electric cars in the city, Girisha said that District Collector, who is the special officer of the Corporation Dr Bharath Narayan Gupta, will hold a meeting with the stake holders and government agencies including RTA, TTD and others to take up an aggressive campaign topromote battery-operated vehicles including scooters, cars, autos and taxis. He appealed the public to switch over to batter-operated vehicles as they are pollution free and also cost effect to save environment.

It is pertinent to note that the recent reports from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) which set up a monitoring centre on Tirumala Hills revealed high pollution in Tirupati and Tirumala due to emissions alerting the civic body to take remedial measures to check the growing pollution in the area.