Varanasi: To promote green mobility, the Varanasi Development Authority has ordered 100 e-bikes for its staff busy in field work.VDA vice-chairman Purna Bora said, “Over 90% of the VDA’s officials and other employees remain busy in field. Approximately 300-400 litres of petrol and diesel is estimated to be consumed in their field visits and other movements. To bring down this figure of per day fuel consumption and also reduce carbon emissions and pollution effectively, the VDA is planning to ensure institutional benefits for purchasing e-vehicles.”In the first phase of the drive to switch to e-vehicles, he said, an order was placed for 100 e-bikes. Along with motivating employees to purchase e-vehicles, efforts are being made to secure institutional discounts from various e-vehicle companies and dealers. Steps are also being taken to provide easy loan facilities at low interest rates in coordination with banks and financial institutions, added Bora.Officials are focussing on e-bikes as given the topography of the city, daily commuting to the office, field inspections, enforcement, project monitoring, and other departmental work will be more convenient with a two-wheeler.To encourage the employees, they are being made aware of the benefits under the schemes offered by the state and central govts, including subsidies on e-vehicles and exemptions on road tax and registration fees. He said, e-vehicle charging stations are being also developed at the authority’s main and zonal offices, which will also be accessible to the general public.Before the VDA’s decision, BJP City South MLA Neelkanth Tiwari and municipal commissioner Himanshu Nagpal promoted green mobility and reduced fuel use by riding e-scooters. Mayor Ashok Tiwari walked to his office, educational institutions declared no-vehicle days, and authorities rode bicycles, following local MP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to voluntarily cut petrol and diesel consumption to support the country’s energy security amid the ongoing conflicts in West Asia.
