MoD to procure 113 electric buses, Every Peace station must be given adequate Numbers
Every Unit / Formation located in peace stations are authorised Buses for various duties related to transportation of men and their families. These are authorized in lieu of military trucks.
There is a need to change the above and instead these buses should be authorized to the Station HQ instead without impinging / reducing the vehicles authorized to the Units on their War Establishment. Units / Training Establishments on Peace Establishments may also be authorized these buses accordingly.
The present fleet of Buses are dependent on fossil fuels and leads to Carbon Emissions & resultant pollution. To keep up with futuristic trends and in support of initiatives of Government of India to achieve Net Zero Carbon Emission, there is need for introduction of Electric Vehicles in the vehicle fleet of Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.
The Ministry of Defence, intends to procure Quantity 113 (Indian Army- 60 and Indian Air Force- 46 & Indian Navy- 07) Buses (Electric) along with Quantity 43 Fast Chargers (Indian Army- 24 and Indian Air Force- 15 & Indian Navy- 04) under ‘Buy (Indian-IDDM)’ category with minimum 50% Indigenous content and seeks participation in the procurement process from prospective bidders.
However 60 electric buses for the entire Army is like a sand grain in the desert. At the minimum 10 buses should be authorized straightaway and procured for each major military stations located in Peace and placed under Command and control of the Station HQ. Five such vehicles should be given to smaller peace stations.
The above will not only be a right step towards comfort and welfare of troops and their families but will also lead to a huge savings in terms of fuels and a much cleaner environment.
