By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA), Muhammad Ali Randhawa on Tuesday discussed the comprehensive plans to shift commercial vehicles to electric power.
During the meeting, Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa emphasized the importance of this transformation, stating that the initiative marks a pivotal step toward achieving a greener, more efficient public transportation system in Islamabad. The transition of commercial buses to electric buses is expected to modernize the city’s transport infrastructure while drastically reducing the nation’s carbon footprint.
Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa directed to explore the provision of soft loans to commercial transport operators to ease the whole transition process to electric vehicles. In addition, special incentives need to be introduced to encourage a faster shift towards electric mobility.
He stressed the need to seek cooperation from International Financial Institutions (IFIs) for securing funding for the electric vehicle initiative. The focus of the initiative should be on earning carbon credits and environmental impact. The Ministry of Climate Change will also be taken on board to ensure that initiative is aligned with the country’s overall climate goals.
During the meeting, the need for upgrading charging infrastructure was highlighted which is key for the success of this initiative. In this connection, Chairman CDA has instructed to introduce new regulations to facilitate the establishment of electric vehicle charging stations at Petrol Pumps across city.
Moreover, charging stations will also be installed near the digital parking facilities recently launched by CDA. It was also decided that CDA will take up the matter of shifting buses to electric ones with all institutions and organizations including schools, colleges and universities in Islamabad.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Director General and the other relevant officers of the Islamabad Public Transport Wing of authority.
