NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has exempted road tax on its battery-operated vehicles under its new Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy, which has already been notified on Saturday. The announcement was made by the transport minister Kailash Gahlot on Sunday.
Suggestions from the public have been sought on the exemption on the registration fee and orders to waive off the fee will be issued in the next three days, said a press statement issued by Gahlot.
The chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy 2020 last month, with a focus to increase the sale of electric vehicles by incentivizing their purchase. The policy aims to register five lakh electric vehicles in the city by 2024.
“Congrats Delhi! As promised by CM @ArvindKejriwal when announcing landmark EV Policy, Delhi govt has EXEMPTED road tax on Battery Operated Vehicles. With right incentives & supporting infra, we are determined to ensure Delhi leads the country in rapid transition to Elec Vehicles (sic),” Gahlot tweeted. The notification issued by the transport department says that the rules issued in the policy for the exemption of registration fee have been opened for public opinion.
The electric vehicle policy is being promoted by the government to increase the use of battery-operated vehicles to reduce air pollution in the city. “This policy has come into force from the date of issue of this notification hence road tax will not be paid on the electric vehicles from October 10,” said an official of the department.
The policy also offers a scrapping incentive of up to Rs 5,000. To support e-vehicle purchase, the government will give an incentive of up to Rs 30,000 for two-wheelers, autos, e-rickshaws, and goods carriers while a subsidy of Rs 1.5 lakh will be provided for the purchase of electric cars, officials said.
As per the scheme’s payment mechanism, the subsidy will be paid to eligible buyers of electric vehicles within two days.