KMC to make EV charging stns mandatory in high-rises

Kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation will make it mandatory for high-rises in the city to have facilities for charging electric vehicles.

"We will come up with a law and all upcoming multi-storey buildings will have to keep facilities for charging electric vehicles," said Mayor Firhad Hakim, on the sidelines of a programme held to inaugurate two electric vehicle charging stations at Dhakuria on Tuesday evening.

The EV charging stations with two machines for charging set up by KMC with support from CESC are the first of their kind in Kolkata, with the civic body pushing for the use of such vehicles to reduce vehicular pollution.

Debasish Banerjee, managing director (distribution), CESC, urged the owners or stakeholders of high-rises to keep facilities of EV charging in parking lots. "Together, we will soon come up with two more charging stations adjacent to Maa flyover and AJC Bose Road flyover," he added.

According to Hakim, 65 percent of the pollution in the city is caused by vehicles and gradually more and more electric vehicles should be encouraged to ensure that our next generations have a safe city to live in.

"We will replace all coal ovens (chullahs) in the city used in wayside eateries or iron shops, with electric ovens and electric irons respectively. We are trying to implement this before Durga Puja. Nobody will be allowed to continue their business using chullahs as they are the major cause of pollution in the city," he maintained.

The Mayor urged Member, Mayor-in-Council (Parks and Gardens) Debashis Kumar, to stop the practice of felicitating guests at a programme with flower bouquets, instead gifting a tree to each of them and requesting them to plant it.

"Our Chief Minister has given the call of Save Green and Stay Clean and this move should be a small yet significant step towards it," Hakim said.