Auto, taxi drivers urged to operated electric vehicles: PS Girisha

Tirupati: In an effort to check the growing pollution in the pilgrim city mainly due to emissions from vehicles, the Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) decided to persuade the diesel and petrol operated passenger vehicles including taxis and autos converted into electrically operated.

Towards this direction, MCT Commissioner PS Girisha along with RTO Vivekananda Reddy held a meeting with the leaders and members of the city based taxi and auto-rickshaw associations here on Saturday to explain the imminent need of shifting to electrical vehicles and also the road map being prepared by the corporation for converting the diesel and petrol passenger vehicles into electrically operated ones, as part of 'green city' concept to check increasing pollution due to emissions.

Girisha pointing that the pollution level both in Tirumala and Tirupati is on higher side due to large number of passenger vehicles engaged in the service of pilgrims visiting daily from all parts of the country.

The APSRTC had already decided to operate electrical buses on ghat road for ferrying pilgrims, as part of the efforts to make the famous pilgrim centre as 'green city' he said, adding that the electric buses is likely to hit the roads in four or five months. In tune with 'green city concept', along with the RTC buses, the Corporation decided to see the private passenger diesel and petrol vehicles too converted to electrical vehicles.

Responding to the representatives of auto and taxi associations on the financial implications and their inability to convert the diesel and petrol vehicles into electrical one mainly due to financial difficulty, commissioner said that the corporation would approach the TTD and also the banks to lend the financial support for conversion of vehicles according to green concept.

RTO Vivekananda Reddy said that to begin with, the taxis and jeeps operating on the ghat road would be taken up for converting them into electrical vehicles. There are about 4,000 private jeeps and taxis operating for pilgrim transport in which in the first phase 2,000 would be covered and later the remaining.

The private vehicles in addition to getting many incentives including waiving of road tax etc. being offered by State and Central governments for shifting to electrically operated would also get more benefits like free charging of vehicle.

He said a proposal is under consideration in which the corporation would set up charging facility in Tirupati and TTD at Tirumala for the private vehicles avail recharge facility free of cost.