‘If people care for Delhi, they’ll shift to EVs’: CM Rekha Gupta

DAys after the young delhi regime rolling come out its new electric vehicle (EV) policy, chief minister Rekha Gupta, in an interview with Hindustan Times, said the policy is aimed at catering to a “huge segment” of Delhi families that buy one vehicle and keep it for years, while urging residents to avail of its benefits “if they care for the city”. She also spoke about the government’s efforts to regularise thousands of illegal colonies, provide housing for millions, and tackle the challenge of encroachment. Edited excerpts:How does the new EV policy benefit pollution control? What are the expected results?I feel that the results will depend a lot on how quickly and to what extent the people of the city are willing to switch to EVs. As more people switch to EVs, we will be able to see a visible difference in emission levels in Delhi. The pollution problem had become like a hardened shell that seemed impossible to break. The previous government did little to improve the situation, so it became an urgent concern for us to take steps to tackle pollution.Also Read | Delhi Next Hackathon ideas to be piloted by government, says CM Rekha GuptaWe were told that about 23% of the city’s pollution is due to vehicular emissions. A year ago, when we came to power, we realised that we had to work on a 360-degree plan that included denser plantations, dust mitigation and controlling emissions. So, we came up with this policy where we have identified priority sectors. There are mandates and EV incentives for the two- and three-wheeler segments because together these account for over 46% of vehicular emissions. The beauty of this policy is that it does not just list subsidies; it has mandates, scrapping incentives, infrastructure upgrades and provisions for battery recycling. It is a well-thought-out policy with end-to-end solutions.The mandates in the policy could also push people to register their vehicles in other NCR cities. Delhi will also lose revenue. Is the policy really a solution then?Our priority is to improve the city’s air. We are, in fact, spending over ₹15,000 crore on this policy – from the state’s total budget of ₹1 lakh crore – which itself speaks of our commitment to improving pollution levels. We are providing substantial subsidies and have also stipulated that people who avail of these subsidies cannot transfer the vehicle for three years, to ensure that the environmental benefits continue. However, if people have to find alternatives, they will. No policy can guarantee 100% participation from the public, but we can motivate people and ensure targeted interventions in key segments.Also Read | Delhi govt revokes work-from-home policy for most departmentsIf the people of the city care for Delhi, they will take advantage of this common-man-centric policy and its benefits. There is still a huge segment where families buy one vehicle and keep it for years, and these families will see the benefit of this policy.The provisions for hybrid vehicles that were in the initial draft were removed. What was the reason for that, since Uttar Pradesh and Haryana both already offer such vehicles tax exemptions?There are two main reasons for keeping hybrids out of the policy. First, we wanted to keep the policy focused on EVs only, as hybrid vehicles switch to petrol or other fuels after using electric power for a while. This will not have the desired environmental impact that we are expecting.Secondly, considering the huge investment of over ₹15,000 crore that we are making in the policy, we had to ensure a phased rollout. So, while we have started with pure EVs, we may consider adding hybrids in the next policy.A gap in the previous policy was that charging infrastructure was not adequately upgraded and several charging points that were set up are now defunct. While the policy sounds good on paper, what is the implementation strategy to ensure that charging infrastructure comes up quickly and is maintained?Charging infrastructure is the basis of this policy. We have set aside ₹8,000 crore solely for developing charging infrastructure and an e-waste plant. As per a report by DTL (Delhi Transco Ltd), there are around 9,000 charging points as of now, and we are going to increase that number extensively.For this, we have shared the responsibility of increasing charging points with manufacturers, dealers, RWAs and institutions, who will all set up charging points – at vehicle dealerships, within housing complexes and in commercial spaces where vehicles are parked en masse. So, the government, OEMs and the private sector will all contribute to developing charging infrastructure.I feel that this is also a new segment opening up that can provide employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. We also have new charging points coming up at all our bus depots and many other public places.While the focus is on two- and three-wheelers and commercial vehicles, EV uptake in cars remains very low and is mostly treated as an option for a family’s second car. Road tax exemptions were there earlier as well, but they did not prove to be a big incentive. So, what is the government’s strategy to increase EV uptake among car owners?We have waived road tax and registration fees on all EV cars costing up to ₹30 lakh. Additionally, we have provided a scrapping incentive of up to ₹1 lakh for cars, which is also a significant amount. We have also ensured that the subsidy amount is transferred through DBT [direct benefit transfer] within 60 days, which is another motivation.People buy cars based on their usage patterns. EVs are perfect for those who drive mostly within the city. Those who have to travel to neighbouring cities occasionally can rent vehicles. In fact, once people start using an EV, they become very comfortable with it because it feels like they are driving around for free. There is no petrol to be filled, charging costs are minimal and fluctuating fuel prices do not bother them.Secondly, all the states around us are now actively working on improving EV infrastructure. Haryana is reviewing our EV policy, while UP and Rajasthan are also planning to expand EV infrastructure. When CNG was introduced, people had similar concerns, which were quickly addressed across the country.Encroachment on public places is rampant in Delhi. From footpaths, parks and roads to common spaces, all sections of society are guilty of chipping away at public areas. The Supreme Court also recently said that the Right to Walk is a fundamental right. HT is running a 15-part video series documenting the deplorable state of Delhi’s footpaths. What mechanism is being put in place to ensure that encroachers do not return and that the condition of footpaths improves?We are very serious about dealing with such long-term illegal encroachments and, in fact, we have taken strict measures across the city, including in my own constituency, to remove such encroachments. Sadly, however, several sections then raise questions about why we are displacing squatters. For real action, people will have to forego their greed and the media and society will have to stop questioning strict action that is rightfully taken.These random unauthorised constructions have come up over years and were never stopped because of vote-bank politics. We are the first government that is taking real action and we hope that the other pillars of democracy will support us in this.You announced that 1,531 colonies are being regularised on an “as is, where is” basis. However, we have seen multiple recent incidents related to narrow lanes, lack of adherence to building norms and absence of basic safety features, which impact firefighting and rescue operations. HT did a four-part series on how these unauthorised colonies have developed over the years into ticking time bombs. How does the government plan to ensure that disasters like those seen in recent months do not occur in these places?Delhi is over 100 years old. None of these 1,500 unauthorised colonies has suddenly come up. Some developed during the previous 15-year government’s tenure and some during the subsequent 11-year government. There are over 700 jhuggi clusters that have also developed in an unplanned manner.We cannot make these hundreds of thousands of people homeless without providing an alternative. For them, we are first supporting them by making them “authorised”. Once they start getting registered, they will be able to take loans against their properties and properly reconstruct safer structures.We are also, for the first time, bringing in a provision under which jhuggis that came up till 2025 will be redeveloped as townships with the help of developers, with common areas, parks, charging points for e-rickshaws and dispensaries. Similarly, once the unauthorised colonies are regularised, these too will be redeveloped in phases with all necessary safety provisions. We allocated ₹700 crore last year and ₹800 crore this year for the development of unauthorised colonies.