Delhi: Charging stations for commercial vehicles to be set up at Okhla, Narela, Dwarka bus depots
New Delhi (PTI): In a bid to boost adoption of electric vehicles in the city, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has started process for setting up charging stations for commercial vehicles including buses and trucks at Okhla, Narela and Dwarka at a cost of around Rs 11 crores, officials said on Saturday.
In order to set up charging stations at cluster bus depots at Dwarka Sector 22, Narela and Okhla, the DTC has floated tenders for engaging approved and eligible contractors registered with Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Military Engineer Services (MES), Railways, PWD and other government agencies.
The work will involve installing and commissioning 1,600 KVA compact substations for supplying power to 240 KW EV chargers meant for commercial vehicles including buses and trucks, a senior DTC officer said.
The move is aligned with the Delhi government's plans to accelerate adoption of electric vehicles and to convert the entire public bus transport fleet into e-buses, in a bid to curb air pollution.
In November last year, the DTC started work for setting up charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles at nine of its bus depots at Rohini Sector 37, Keshopur, Nangloi, Kalkaji, Sukhdev Vihar, Nand Nagri, Ghazipur, and Hasanpur, according to a transport department officer.
Charging facilities for heavy commercial vehicles require high powered direct current (DC) chargers. Private players are already expanding the infrastructure, and now the DTC is towing the line with an aim to transition its entire bus fleet to e-vehicles by the end of the year, officials said.
The charging stations, equipped with 240 KW DC chargers, at Narela, Dwarka Sector 22 and Okhla depots will have an LCD touchscreen human interface and LED lights for charging status indication.
Additionally, there will be metering of the power consumed with an accuracy up to one percent deviation, one hour battery backup for communication, and an emergency push stop button. The user interface will be enabled through a mobile app, QR code, radio frequency ID (RFID) card and via payment options, officials said.
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
