Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi vice-chairperson Jasmine Shah on Wednesday said that Delhi will soon be the “first city” in India where anyone can get an electric vehicle (EV) charger installed by making a phone call or applying online.
The Delhi government has taken an important step towards empanelment of private charging infrastructure providers for EVs, he said. The empanelment will be accompanied by the rollout of a single-window facility for installation of EV chargers in residential spaces, institutional buildings such as hospitals and also malls and theatres among other places.
The decision to implement a single-window facility and empanel vendors through discoms for smooth rollout of EV chargers in private and semi-public places was taken on Wednesday at the Charging Infrastructure Working Group meeting of Delhi government chaired by Mr. Shah.
“We have received requests from many apartment societies, RWAs, mall owners etc. that they wish to install EV chargers but don’t know how to. This innovative process will enable quick and efficient installation of EV chargers,” he said.
The roll-out plan also includes disbursal of a grant of 100% for the purchase of charging equipment up to ₹6,000, per charging point for the first 30,000 charging points, as per the Delhi EV policy.
Join hands with Google
In a related development, the Delhi government announced it had joined hands with Google to integrate Delhi’s public transit system onto the Google Maps platform today.
Once the project kicks off, the government stated, static and dynamic location data of Delhi buses will be available for passengers in real-time. A bus user, the government stated, will get information of all the routes and bus stops, all bus arrival and departure times in real-time and even by bus numbers.
There will also be updates on any delays which will reduce waiting time and hence reduce crowding at bus stops, along with increased accountability of public buses.
The feature is also available in Hindi and users can also change the language in Google Maps settings or within the device language settings.
A commuter needs to open the Google Maps app on their Android or iOS device, enter q destination and tap the ‘Go’ icon or tap the ‘Go’ icon and enter the ‘Source’ and ‘Destination’ locations.
“If it’s not already selected, tap the ‘transit’ icon [the little tram] to view times, bus numbers, routes and real-time arrival information highlighted in green or red,” the government stated.
“Tapping a recommended route lets you view more information on the route’s stops. Tap the bus stop to see a listing of all arriving buses, where relevant real-time information is depicted by the green or red beacon,” it stated.
