Assam: Electrical Bus Charging Station in Biswanath Stays Neglected

BISWANATH: The second Electrical Bus charging station is present in Biswanath of Assam, but it has remained neglected for a very long time due to the lack of will for the proper utilisation of the same.

It is important to note that this charging station was inaugurated on 25 January 2021 by the elected representative from the constituency, Pallab Lochan Das. It was set up by the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) and due to its non-functioning, the two electric busses procured with an expenditure of over Rs 1.5 Cr remain non-operational as well.

The arrangement was made by the government to run two electric buses from the electric bus charging station established in the Falfali locality of Biswanath. Local people as well as representatives from several organisations have blamed the Assam State Transport Corporation as well as the state administration for their inability to operate the charging station properly. These non-polluting vehicles have a range of 120 km but they remain parked in the facility. So the people have demanded that the authorities take proper measures to ensure that this facility becomes operational yet again.

The State Government had announced to lease out the operation of electric buses under ASTC (Assam State Transport Corporation). The government is making such decisions to prevent the loss-making corporation from incurring further losses. According to sources, ASTC is set to get 200 electric buses in two phases, 100 in each phase, under the Guwahati Smart City Project. The electric buses will run within Guwahati city and its adjoining sub-urban areas. The government has now decided not to allow ASTC to run the buses as the corporation does not have adequate manpower and the VRS (voluntary retirement process) process is underway. The government also acknowledges that ASTC may incur more losses if it operates a fleet of 200 electric buses on its own.

Also Read: ASTC (Assam State Transport Corporation) to lease out a fleet of 100 electric buses

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