E-Buses on Hyderabad Roads

Telangana government is mulling on the idea of deploying electric buses, cars and non-polluting auto-rickshaws in Hyderabad in a bid to get rid of the pollution suffocating the city. The state government is planning to place orders for for around 20 electric buses and 10 to 20 e-cars under the FAME India scheme, which is intended to promote environment friendly road transport system in major cities across the country.

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Central government had brought out this scheme to provide Rs 795 crore to promote electric vehicles in the cities during the first two fiscals from this year. These vehicles will also bring down the operational costs. While diesel and petrol vehicles will cost Rs 10 to Rs 15 per kilometer, electric-powered vehicles will just cost 20 paise to 80 paise per kilometer.

Already there is a five year motor vehicle tax exemption in the state for electric vehicles and the state is also mooting the idea of giving VAT exemption to such vehicles.