Himachal Pradesh government to buy 30 electric buses

SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh government will soon purchase 30 electric buses to run on various routes in Shimla town, State Transport Minister Govind Singh Thakur said.nn”These buses will not only provide comfortable travelling facility to the commuters but will also help in checking pollution levels. The purchase orders have already been given after all code formalities were fulfilled,” he added.nnStating that the state government had followed the directions and norms of the central government, Thakur said the “quality buses” were being purchased at minimum rates.nnIn all 50 electric buses will be purchased for Shimla town with the cooperation of Union Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Ministry, he said adding that orders had been given for 30 nine-metre-long buses while the remaining 20 would be of 7 metres in length.nnThe cost of each nine-metre-long bus was Rs. 76.97 lakh, with a capacity of 31 seats. Thakur claimed similar buses were bought by the previous Congress government for Rs 2 crore each.nn”These buses would take only half-an-hour to fully charge, whereas the electric buses purchased earlier would take around five to six hours for full charge,” he said.nnSource: Press Trust of India