India’s first electric vehicle only zone is to be developed at the statue of unity in a phased manner. The tallest statue of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel is located in Kevadia of Narmada district and the area surrounded will be converted to Electric Vehicle only zone.
The Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Authority (SOUADTGA) stated that it will develop the “country’s first electric vehicles-only area” in Gujarat’s Kevadia. SOUADTGA manages the tourism and executes the development activities in the area.
The statement came after prime minister Narendra Modi has announced the plan to convert the area to EV only city. Infrastructure development is being carried out to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles. It mainly focuses on battery-operated buses, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and four-wheelers.
“In the area under the authority, only electric vehicles will be allowed to ply, with the buses made available for tourists also running on battery power instead of diesel,” – The authority added.
The local residents living around the Statue of Unity will get assistance to buy electric three-wheelers and the authority will give subsidy for buying electric vehicles.
At least 50 rickshaws will be deployed in the area under the authority initially and women will get preference as the drivers of e-rickshaws. The Skill Development Center at Kevadia will provide the necessary training for those drivers. EV workshops and charging stations will also be set up in the area.
As part of the e=mobility adoption, the agency has asked the company operating e-rickshaw in the area to develop a smart mobile app that mentions the fares and other tourist information.
The plan is to reduce the pollution from transportation in the tourist location where the tallest statue in the world locates.
Conclusion
Kevadia of Gujrat where the statue of unity stands becomes India’s first EV-only zone. The region is already eco-friendly with hydel power generating station. We can see only e-rickshaws, electric buses, electric cars, and electric two-wheelers in the area near future.