Delhi govt to add 7,000 EV charging stations, 2,000 buses this year to curb air pollution
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi government is planing to install around 7,000 new electric vehicle charging stations by the end of the year to promote clean mobility and boost EV adoption, officials said on Monday.
According to the officials, the initiative is part of a broader strategy to mitigate vehicular emissions, a primary driver of air pollution in the national capital. Alongside the charging infrastructure, the government is planing to strengthen public transport by expanding the bus fleet.
The existing EV policy will expire at the end of March. Officials said a revised policy is expected to finalised and notified by that deadline.
Under the proposed transport plant, the government has plans to add over 2000 buses by the end of 2026, the officials said.
In a recent high-level review meeting on air pollution control measures, authorities established a total requirement of 11,000 buses for the city. Delhi, currently operates 5,245 buses, including 3,377 electric buses.
"A month-wise action plan was shared with the officials. The target is to add 2,468 new buses this year. However, some old CNG buses may get phased out over the year, which the government has to factor in yet," a senior official said.
To support the transition to electric vehicles, the government's pollution control plan includes the addition of 7,000 charging stations across the city.
Official data shows that as of December, Delhi has 8,849 charging stations against a projected requirement of 36,150. This leaves a current deficit of 27,301 stations.
With the addition of 7,000 new charging stations, the total is expected to reach 15,849. These charging stations are situated at Rapid Rail and Delhi Metro stations and are installed by power distribution companies, the officials said.
The government is also working with the Delhi Traffic Police to address road congestion.
Traffic Police has identified 62 congestion hotspots and 215 specific remedial tasks. Of these, 83 tasks have been completed, while 46 have been deemed unfeasible due to ongoing infrastructure projects, redevelopment works, or lack of feasibility, the officials said.
Of the 86 pending tasks, 50 are scheduled to be completed within the next one to six months.
The government's web portal for licensing and onboarding vehicles by motor vehicles aggregators, delivery service providers and e-commerce entities has registered approximately 7 lakh vehicles since its launch in 2023, they added.
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SC asks states to treat rising child trafficking cases as grave; seeks coordinated action
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request”, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.
