Delhi govt puts off launch of 330 electric buses due to mourning on demise of Pope Francis

New Delhi, April 22 (IANS) The Delhi government on Tuesday postponed its launch of 330 electric buses due to the national mourning on the demise of Pope Francis.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said a new date for the launch under the Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector (DEVI) scheme would be announced soon.

In a message on social media site X, CM Gupta said, “Due to the national mourning declared by the Government of India on the demise of His Holiness Pope Francis, the launch of electric buses under the DEVI scheme has been postponed. The new date will be announced soon.”

The launch of the new fleet of nine-metre green mini-buses was planned to be a major step towards revolutionising the national capital’s public transport sector and counter pollution.

The now-postponed launch was to be presided over by Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav.

Before deciding to delay the launch, CM Rekha said in a social media post, “On this #EarthDay, we are taking a transformative step towards a greener future with the launch of 330 new electric buses under the #DEVI initiative...”

“This is our sincere effort to make Delhi’s journey cleaner, safer, and more sustainable for generations to come. Join us today as we celebrate this historic milestone. Your support matters- together, let's drive Delhi towards a greener and healthier tomorrow!” she said.

The green-coloured buses, which were earlier proposed to be named ‘Mohalla Buses’ by the previous AAP government, will soon hit the road. These buses were undergoing trial runs on half a dozen routes over the past few months.

On the eve of the now-postponed launch, Delhi Transport Minister Pankaj Singh said that the free travel facility for women shall continue in the new buses, which will follow the existing fare rates followed in the bigger 12-metre-long buses.

The mini-electric bus service, christened DEVI, promise to offer relief to citizens living in congested areas as these mini-buses are capable of moving easily on narrow roads. Each DEVI bus will have 23 seats and space for 13 standing passengers.

With routes not longer than 12 km and a charging time of less than an hour, the DEVI buses, modelled on Delhi Metro’s feeder buses, are likely to bring commuters from interior streets to wider arterial roads that are serviced by Delhi Transport Corporation’s longer 12-metre buses.

Officials said the first batch of Devi buses will operate from the Ghazipur, Nangloi and East Vinod Nagar depots.

--IANS

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