The State government will formulate a policy to allow large housing societies to offer their premises for construction of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. A team of senior officials at NITI Aayog on Friday offered the government a wish list on the implementation of the Electric Vehicle Policy under the Central government’s mobility plan.
The government informed the team, headed by the principal consultant, NITI Aayog, that land availability was scarce in Mumbai, and that it was planning a scheme on the lines of the mobile tower policy to allow societies to offer land for the construction of stations.
“We do not want these stations to come up on the roadside, which would then turn into a commercial activity. A policy will be framed to allow housing societies to offer land for the stations. In return, they would be given construction benefits or other incentives,” Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta told The Hindu .
Last year, following the clearance of the Maharashtra Electric Vehicle Policy, Nagpur became the first city to get an EV charging station. The station came up on an Indian Oil gas/petrol facility. The new policy made special provisions to support the construction of EV stations, including subsidised electricity rates for the manufacturers, and 25% capital subsidy for the first 250 stations, officials said.
The policy envisaged a complete switch of the State transport system by 2030. It estimated an approximate investment of ₹25,000 crore and creation of five lakh jobs.
The State government has already issued a special ordinance directing planning authorities to start giving permissions to construct EV charging stations. The ordinance was approved by the Governor and directives issued under Section 154 of the Maharashtra Regional Town Planing Act, 1966, on Friday.
The EV charging stations will be permitted at public parking lots, housing societies, gas stations, railway stations and bus depots, officials said.
