Chandigarh to amend building bylaws

Tribune News Service

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Chandigarh, February 12

The UT Administration will have to amend the building bylaws for providing charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in new buildings.

According to the Draft Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy, which was notified on Thursday, Chandigarh shall amend the existing building bylaws in accordance with the Model Building Bylaws, 2016, for electric vehicle charging infrastructure issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. “This will make all new home and workplace parking slots ‘EV ready’ with conduits and power supply infrastructure in place for electric vehicle chargers for at least 20% of all vehicle holding capacity/parking,” stated the policy.

Accordingly, the building premises will also enable additional power load, equivalent to the power required for all charging points to be operated simultaneously. Also, all new or renovated residential and non-residential building owners will be encouraged to install private charging points (PCPs) within their premises. In order to facilitate establishment of EV charging infrastructure in housing societies, offices and other places for private or semi-private usage, the Chandigarh Renewal Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST) will make an IT-based platform to provide one-stop solution within defined timeline by enabling features such as power connection, standard models of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), cost of equipment and installation and empanelled vendors.

UT to create EV fund, may impose ‘Green Cess’

The Administration also aims at creating a ‘UT EV Fund’ to be used to promote EV adoption, including providing incentives for EVs and EV infrastructure. The UT EV Fund will get money through annual budgetary provision, from combination of “Green Cess” on road tax applicable to all internal combustion engine vehicles only and those running on conventional fuel.

App to provide info on charging stations

As a nodal agency, CREST will also develop a mobile application where all real-time information on electric vehicle charging stations such as real-time updates on time slot availability, type of charging infrastructure, available load of charging station, distance from present location of electric vehicle user and applicable tariff will be available.

Start-ups to be encouraged

The policy aims at fostering research and innovation in electric mobility. EV start-ups will be encouraged with incentives such as grant from Rs3,000 to Rs18,000 per seat monthly. Also, start-ups registering national and international patents will be reimbursed up to 50 per cent of the cost incurred by them subject to a cap of Rs2 lakh for national and Rs5 lakh for international patents.

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