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The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) has directed Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh (UP) for strict implementation of targeted timelines for the inter-city and inter-State bus services serving Delhi and other cities in NCR.
The commission held a series of meetings with the NCR States for developing detailed action plans for shifting to cleaner bus services in NCR, focusing that bus services in the entire NCR to be targeted for EVs in long-term (within 5 years), through EVs/ CNG buses in the medium-term (within 3 years) and in the interim through EVs/ CNG/ BS-VI diesel buses, CAQM said on Friday.
The current availability of EV/ CNG/ BS-VI diesel buses with the State governments, total requirement of such buses to cater to various services from different areas of the respective States to Delhi and other NCR areas, and the status of new procurements of such buses by these States were also deliberated upon in detail during the meetings, it added.
Action plans
As per the action plans formulated by the State governments of Haryana, Rajasthan and UP, the States aimed to replace or relocate older BS-III and BS-IV diesel operated buses in a phased manner and plan to procure new BS-VI Diesel buses during 2023-24, CAQM informed.
The plan includes Haryana to procure 1,313 new BS-VI diesel buses and Rajasthan to buy 590 BS-VI diesel buses and outsource services of 440 BS-VI diesel buses. Uttar Pradesh will add more than 1,650 new BS-VI diesel buses, it added.
It was also informed that procurement of CNG buses and EVs, as per the respective EV Policy, is also underway in the NCR.
On June 19, CAQM issued an advisory with the prime objective to ensure that with effect from November 1, 2023, all buses originating from NCR areas in the respective States and travelling to Delhi are either EVs or CNG or BS-VI diesel.
Targeted timelines
Under the targeted implementation guidelines, Haryana has to ensure that all bus services between any city/ town in Haryana and Delhi shall be operated only through EV/ CNG/ BS-VI diesel buses from November 1, 2023.
For Rajasthan, all bus services between any NCR city/ town in the Rajasthan and Delhi as also to any other city/ town in NCR, shall be operated only through EV/ CNG/ BS-VI diesel buses from November 1, 2023. Besides, all bus services from non-NCR areas of Rajasthan to Delhi shall also be ensured through EV/ CNG/ BS-VI diesel buses from January 1, 2024.
In the case of UP, all bus services between any NCR city/ town in UP and Delhi shall be operated only through EV/ CNG/ BS-VI diesel buses from November 1, 2023.
All the bus services plying within the 8 NCR districts of UP, shall also be through BS-VI Diesel compliant buses from April 1, 2024. Besides, buses operating between non-NCR areas of UP to Delhi and NCR areas of other States shall also be ensured through BS-VI diesel compliant buses from June 1, 2024.
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