Bhubaneswar: The Odisha capital will be getting a fleet of 50 electric buses under the second phase of FAME India Scheme, which aims to give a push to clean mobility in public transportation.
According to official sources, the Ministry of Heavy Industries has approved 5595 electric buses for 64 cities in the second phase and 50 among them have been sanctioned for Bhubaneswar.
On July 20, Odisha Science & Technology Minister Ashok Panda had told the Assembly that electric buses will be put into service in a 100-km radius covering the cities of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri to curb air pollution in urban areas. He said an MoU on electric public transportation will be signed soon.
Electric buses have zero emissions and can save 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 350,000 litres of diesel over 10 years of operation, according to JBM Solaris Electric Vehicle Ltd. Globally, China leads the electric vehicle market and the mega-city of Shenzen is the first 100 per cent electric bus city with more than 16,500 electric buses plying on its roads.
