Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today met Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, and requested special relaxations for hill states under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme, citing operational challenges posed by difficult geographical conditions.
The Chief Minister highlighted that, under existing norms, only Shimla qualifies for the scheme as it applies to cities with populations exceeding ten lakh, limiting Himachal Pradesh’s ability to fully benefit from the initiative despite the State’s commitment to green and sustainable mobility. He urged that the population criteria be relaxed to enable other emerging urban hubs—such as Dharamshala, Mandi, Solan, Palampur, Hamirpur, Una, and Baddi—to participate.
CM Sukhu emphasized the State Government’s plan to replace 1,500 diesel buses with electric buses on feasible routes to reduce air and noise pollution, with 297 electric buses already in the procurement process this year under the CAPEX model. He also requested operational adjustments, including reducing the daily assured mileage under the OPEX model to 150 km per bus and increasing operational assistance from Rs. 22/km to Rs. 52/km, to ensure electric bus operations remain financially viable in hilly terrain.
Additionally, the Chief Minister sought a No Objection Certificate from BBMB for transferring 47 bigha of surplus land at Sundernagar for an integrated office of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) and suggested linking capital assistance to actual mileage achieved to incentivize performance and equitable reimbursement. Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar assured full support to the State.
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