Guwahati To Become India’s First City With Complete Green Public Transport

The Wait Could be longer

On the first of the new year 2024, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced his ambitious vision to transform Guwahati into India’s first city entirely powered by a green public transportation system by 2025. In a significant step towards realizing this goal, he flagged off 200 electric buses on the same day, which will operate in Guwahati and its surrounding areas.

Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “In a major stride towards creating a pollution-free environment in Assam, I inaugurated 200 AC e-Buses today, set to serve Guwahati and its adjoining areas. Our aim is to establish Guwahati as the first city in the country to operate on a 100% green public transportation system by 2025. This new fleet supplements the 100 CNG buses dedicated last New Year.”

This ambitious initiative seeks to advocate for environmental sustainability and combat carbon emissions, potentially setting a precedent for other Indian cities to embrace eco-friendly public transport systems.

Addressing a gathering in Guwahati, Chief Minister Sarma disclosed the launch of AC electric buses as part of the state’s commitment to a clean and green future. The buses, amounting to approximately Rs 261 crore, will serve suburbs such as AIIMS, Mirza, Baihata, Jagiroad, and Chandrapur. The 200 e-buses will also be equipped with CCTV cameras and GPS navigation.

Assam CM further declared that by 2025, all diesel-run buses in the city will be replaced with electric vehicles. Additionally, the state government plans to formulate an Electric Vehicle (EV) strategy to incentivize auto-rickshaw drivers, Ola-Uber drivers, and private bus operators to transition to electric cars. Notably, Assam has become the third state to introduce the National Common Mobility Card.

The Assam Chief Minister also unveiled plans to generate 3000 MW of solar power, enhance CCTV camera coverage in Guwahati, and construct India’s first modern river ferry terminal at Fancy Bazar, funded by the World Bank, on the Brahmaputra. He proposed streamlining the process for issuing original driving licenses and establishing more driver training centers in the state.