It is praiseworthy that the Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation has proposed the procurement of 200 additional electric buses under the Prime Minister’s e-Drive scheme. Besides this, the Housing and Urban Development Department is also procuring 100 new e-buses under a separate initiative, ensuring better transportation facilities while having a limited effect on the environment, as battery-operated vehicles are considered eco-friendly.
The aforesaid facts came to the fore in a written reply to a question by BJP MLA Dr Devender Kumar Manyal by the Transport Minister Satish Sharma. He had informed the Assembly that JKRTC has recently proposed procurement of 200 additional electric buses under the PM e-Drive scheme.
The success of the e-buses introduced recently in both Jammu and Srinagar has changed the scenario across the Union Territory, kindling hopes that sooner rather than later J&K will have a pollution-free fleet of public transport vehicles that would ferry maximum number of passengers and carry loads on e-trucks as well, affecting the environment minimally and ensuring noise-free travel.
Although this new kind of travel option has its own drawbacks like the disposal of the used batteries is a big issue and many others but what the government should consider at present and on priority is supporting the private transporters to transform their fleets of passenger buses, mini buses and load carriers from being diesel based to electric-based as the future is of electric-vehicles. The government cannot leave them midway while it is improving its own fleet of buses by shunning conventional fuel use and adopting e-technology.
It is the right time that the government should come up with a policy for private transporters giving them either a subsidy or interest free loans to dispose of their fossil-fuel based vehicles and switch over to e-buses to remain relevant in the market and also contribute significantly in the economy while remaining eco-friendly.
The government should take this decision swiftly before it is too late for the transporters as one thing is clear that vehicles driven by the fossil fuels are soon going to become obsolete as e-vehicles are replacing them with lightning speed.
The government, being the welfare state, cannot shun its responsibility towards welfare of the transporters and therefore it is necessary that sooner than later the people at helm should come with a clear and bountiful policy for the private transporters of Jammu and Kashmir giving them a fair chance to upgrade their fleet and remain relevant and useful for the society as they used to be when the government’s fleet of buses and trucks was inadequate and not that effective due to dilapidated condition of aged vehicles which the government owned at that time.
It is time for the government to pay back and give a chance to private transporters to lead a life with dignity and pride.
