Maharashtra aims to be 1st state to have entire public transport system running on clean fuel: Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Pic/PTI

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that state aims to be the first state in the country where all public transport buses run on clean fuels.

Fadnavis said big cities like Mumbai and Pune already have electric buses.

"In the coming days, it will be our endeavour to ensure that public transport will not have any conventional fuel at all. We have already made a start with big cities in the state where transportation systems are being turned to clean systems," Fadnavis said at an event organised by the Union Ministry of Culture and industry lobby CII.

Fadnavis said the state-run Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation will also be starting to replace the fuel source for its fleet soon.

Speaking at the maiden public outing for him and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde since taking oath last week, Fadnavis said a switch to EVs will help India achieve its overall environmental targets and also develop the electric vehicles ecosystem in the state.
The GSDP of the state will touch USD 1 trillion before 2030 on the back of the infrastructure, technology and innovation-led approach adopted by the government, he added.

He also said politics sometimes meddles in infrastructure creation like the Metro rail project in the financial capital, but made it clear that the government wants to fasten the pace of work and complete it on time.

Admitting that Maharashtra has lagged behind in progress on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, Fadnavis said efforts will be made to expedite the same.

(With inputs from PTI)