To fight climate change , Visakhapatnam plans e-vehicles for city
A total of 25 e-rickshaws will be procured under the project. Of these, 15 e-rickshaws will be used to transport garbage, and the other 10 will be used as public transport
Visakhapatnam: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is planning to introduce e-rickshaws for public transportation as well as to transport garbage. The project is being taken up with the financial assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
A total of 25 e-rickshaws will be procured under the project. Of these, 15 e-rickshaws will be used to transport garbage, and the other 10 will be used as public transport. The e-rickshaws allocated for public transport will run on the RK Beach Road. Four e-buses will also be procured as under the project. Two charging stations will be developed for the four e-buses and five charging stations will be set up for the e-rickshaws.
In another project, the GVMC has already conducted a trial run of e-buses with the plan to procure 58 e-buses and operate them on the BRTS corridor.
The GVMC has been provided with an urban climate change resilience trust fund under the Visakhapatnam-Chennai industrial corridor project. The fund is slated to be used to develop and provide climate change resilient infrastructure and services in the city.
The objective of this enterprise has been divided into two components. The first component is to rejuvenate the Mudasarlova reservoir, enhancing the green cover around the reservoir and recharging groundwater levels.
The second component is to harness renewable energy by developing a solar energy part on Megadhrigadda reservoir. The project to develop the aforementioned e-vehicle zone is part of the second component. Apart from de-silting the lake bed and putting a turf around the bund, the drains joining the lake inlet will be refurbished.
According to the plan, rainwater harvesting structures will be developed in all public buildings in the catchment area under the Meghadrigedda reservoir rejuvenation project. Contour trenches have been proposed at the foothills of Kailasagiri and Kambalakonda.
The project is being executed by the department of industries and commerce and GVMC will be the implementing agency. The department of municipal administration and urban development will be responsible for making major decisions with regard to project implementation. The GVMC will be responsible for daily implementation activities.
According to a GVMC, tenders have already been called to procure e-vehicles under the Visakhapatnam-Chennai industrial corridor project.
Source: energy.economictimes.indiatimes
