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Delhi cabinet approves 1,000 electric buses (Lead)

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New Delhi, March 2 (IANS) In a major move to fight air pollution, the Delhi cabinet on Saturday approved 1,000 Low Floor AC Electric Buses for the national capital, claiming to be the first Indian city to have such a large number of e-buses.

Calling it a “historic day for Delhi”, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said the decision will help in ensuring a cleaner and greener future for the people of Delhi.

“The Delhi cabinet clears proposal of 1,000 Low Floor Electric Buses – greater than the commitment of all Indian cities put together,” he tweeted.

The cabinet took the decision at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

“Congratulations Delhi. Cabinet approves 1,000 electric buses. Several obstacles were created. All obstacles cleared. Delhi will become the first Indian city to have such a large no of electric buses,” Kejriwal tweeted.

The number of passengers carried daily by Delhi Transport Corp (DTC) and cluster buses is some 43 lakh, according to official data. This is more than the 25 lakh ferried every day by Delhi Metro.

Until now, all DTC and cluster buses plied on compressed natural gas (CNG).

Tenders for electric buses are to be released within a week, the Transport Department said in a statement. “The first lot of electric buses are expected to hit the streets before the end of 2019.”

“Creating sufficient capacity in public transport system is the only way to reduce air pollution in Delhi and bring down the number of vehicles on the roads of Delhi to reduce congestion,” the statement added.

The cabinet also gave its approval to allow the Transport Department to ask the prospective bidders to bring the buses with CCTV, Automatic Vehicle Tracking System (AVTS), Panic buttons and Panic alarms as per the specification finalized by the government, it said.

The Department said the 1,000 buses will be parked and charged overnight at six depots called as Parent Depots.

“However, infrastructure for charging of electric buses within the depot and the housing of requisite numbers of charging units shall be the responsibility of the Concessionaire.

“The arrangements to provide power infrastructure at intermediate charging points along bus routes (called host depots) will also be the responsibility of the Concessionaires,” it said.

A subsidy of up to Rs 75 lakh per bus or 60 per cent of cost of bus, whichever is lesser, shall be provided in three instalments along with the safeguards as prescribed by the Delhi government.

“The cabinet has decided that subsidy and power infrastructure up to Parent Depots, estimated to be Rs 800 crore, will be funded through the utilization of the ECC (Environment Compensation Charge) funds, presently a corpus of approximately Rs 1,100 crore, subject to directions and/or orders of the Supreme Court on this issue,” the Transport Department said.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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