HYDERABAD: In a bid to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and control air pollution, the state government has announced a 100% exemption from road tax and registration fees for EVs purchased and registered in the state for an initial period of two years, until December 31, 2026.
The new policy, which will not have an upper limit on the number of vehicles registered, will take effect immediately.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat here on Sunday, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, along with Special Chief Secretary (Transport) Vikas Raj and Transport Commissioner Surendra Mohan, said an order to this effect was issued on Saturday.
Earlier, the policy offered tax exemptions for only 5,000 EVs. However, the cap has now been lifted. So far, 1.70 lakh EVs have been registered in the state. Currently, about 5% of all vehicles registered in Telangana are electric.
The transport minister also highlighted that the Telangana Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy 2020–2030 had already been introduced to encourage EV adoption in the state.
The policy offers various incentives, including exemptions from road tax, registration fees and retro-fitment incentives.
Anti-pollution push
With no cap on the number of EV registrations, the government aims to make Hyderabad a pollution-free city and avoid the severe air quality issues faced by cities like New Delhi. The current Air Quality Index (AQI) in Hyderabad is 83, with Patancheru at 82 and Sangareddy at 79.
Additionally, Prabhakar stated that the government was also planning to replace 3,000 RTC buses with electric buses in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits.
Ponnam urges people to adopt EVs
Prabhakar appealed to citizens to prioritise EVs to help reduce pollution and protect the environment for future generations.
Both Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka are committed to making Hyderabad a cleaner, greener city, he said. Additionally, plans are underway to introduce a policy to scrap vehicles older than 15 years and set up automatic vehicle testing centres. The minister said that around 1.50 lakh people die in road accidents across the country each year, with 20 fatalities occurring daily in Telangana. As part of a broader road safety campaign, an NGO has committed to raising awareness before issuing driving licences.