Stage set for launch of e-buses in Sonepat

Tribune News Service

Mukesh Tandon

Sonepat, April 18

Excited with the good response to the electric bus service in Panipat, Karnal and Yamunanagar-Jagadhari, the Transport Department is now making preparations for the launch of the service in Sonepat from June.

To check pollution in the NCR region, the state Transport Department has been planning to include electric buses in the fleet of buses at the Sonepat Roadways Depot. Hundreds of people go to Delhi for work by buses and trains daily from here.

Four routes finalised

• Four routes have been identified by officials for these e-buses.
• These are Murthal-Barhi-Ganaur; Murthal-Bahalgarh-Rai-Kundli-Singhu border; Murthal to Farmana and Murthal to Gannaur via Shehzadpur-Sandal Kalan
• After conducting the survey of these routes, these would be finalised for the first phase trial

A fleet of 50 in the offing

• In the first phase, the project would be launched with five electric buses in June.
• Ultimately, the plan is to launch 50 electric buses in the district.
• The department has fixed a site for the e-bus stand
• The tender to construct a charging station for buses has also been allotted.

Besides, the area from Gannaur to Kundli on the NH-44 has been developed as “New Sonepat”, which has become an industrial hub. Considering all these factors, the Transport Department is set to launch the e-city bus service in Sonepat from June.

The department has fixed a new site for the electric bus stand and also allotted a tender to construct a charging station for the electric buses there.

Sources said in the first phase, the project would be launched with five electric buses in June. Ultimately, the plan is to launch 50 electric buses in the district.

However, the old bus stand is very congested, due to which the department has finalised the site for the stand exclusively for electric buses at the driving training centre at Murthal chowk on the NH-44.

The electric buses would be able to easily ply from here and a special charging station containing 10 charging points would be set up. For this, the department has tied up with a private company, DIIMS.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs 12 crore and a tender has also been allotted by the department.

Four routes have been identified by officials at the local level and these have been sent to the headquarters and after conducting the survey of all these four routes – Murthal-Barhi-Ganaur; Murthal-Bahalgarh-Rai-Kundli-Singhu border; Murthal to Farmana and Murthal to Gannaur via Shehzadpur-Sandal Kalan — they would be finalised for the first phase trial, the sources said.

A senior official, on the condition of anonymity, said after the electric bus service is operational, more routes would be explored. Apart from all internal local routes, electric buses would also ply from Sonepat to Delhi and Sonepat to Panipat, as there was a huge number of passengers on these routes and these buses don’t cause pollution, are air-conditioned and comfortable, the official said.

“Preparations for the launch of e-city bus services are in full swing as per the directions of the headquarters. These include the construction of platforms, power connections of 300 KW, transformers etc. The charging station would be constructed by a private company,” said Sanjay Kumar, GM, Roadways, Sonepat.

Navdeep Virk, Principal Secretary, Transport Department, said, “We have been receiving a very good response from people for electric buses from Panipat and other cities. The stage is set to launch the project in Sonepat and the stand for these buses has been finalised.”

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