In a push to make Hyderabad a pollution-friendly city, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced that the state government would be purchasing 500 electric vehicles.
CM KCR’s announcement came after a meeting with the representatives of BYD (Build Your Dreams) Auto Industries Co Ltd, a Chinese automobile manufacturer.
KCR even went on to take a ride on an electric bus developed by the manufacturer.
The Chief Minister said that there was a rise in pollution in the city, and electric vehicles could help reduce it. He announced that in the first phase, the government would purchase 500 electric vehicles for the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), the state-owned transport system.
KCR said that the electric vehicles would be introduced first in the limits of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), which would later be extended to other districts.
According to a statement, BYD expressed an interest in setting up a factory and production unit in Hyderabad, and the government said that they would extend all help possible to establish the unit in the state.
This announcement comes just two weeks after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s Chandrababu Naidu’s call to make the state pollution-free and called on manufacturers to set up a base in the state.
Transport Minister P Mahender Reddy, CMP Principal Secretary S Narsing Rao, TSRTC MD Ramana Rao, BYD General Manager Liu Xueliang, Executive Director Zhang Jie and others were a part of the meeting held at KCR’s office-cum-residence Pragathi Bhavan.
BYD manufactures bus, cars, autos and trucks. Reportedly, once charged, the vehicle can be driven for 300-400 km. For the battery to be fully charged it takes nearly three hours.
While introducing electric vehicles is the latest measure taken by the government, it has already planted several saplings across the state through its Haritha Haram programme, which would enhance the forest cover and combat pollution and also bring rainfall to the state.