State Govt sets 2030 deadline for complete shift to e-vehicles

The Bangla Government has prepared a roadmap for switching to electric mode in public transportation sector in Kolkata by 2030. The State Transport Department will be overseeing the project.

It was for this project that the mayor (and Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister) received the C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Award in Copenhagen, Denmark recently.

West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) has already introduced a fleet of electric buses (-e-buses) that connect Kolkata and its expansive suburbs. The plan is to have an entire city fleet of 5,000 electric buses by 2030.

This would bring down per annum carbon dioxide emission by 7,82,560 tonnes. All these e-buses will replace old polluting buses. The shift will be gradual. Completing a 100 per cent shift is a decade-long process, according to a senior official of the Transport Department.

Already 80 electric buses are plying across Kolkata. Soon, New Town, which is also the booming IT hub of Kolkata, will see 50 e-buses. A hundred e-buses are being bought for Haldia and Durgapur-Asansol.

The government is ready with a plan of setting up 241 charging stations for electric vehicles in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area.

Not just buses, the West Bengal Transport department is also planning battery-run ferry services along the Hooghly. The vessels are one of the pivotal and cheapest modes of transport for thousands of passengers.

Like Volvos, others buses also to install front mirrors

The State Government has decided that, like in Volvo buses, all buses in the State need to install big rear view mirrors at the front. This would ensure that drivers have a clear view of the vehicles coming from the rear.

The rule would first be imposed on buses in Kolkata, according to the city’s police commissioner at a conference on road safety organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The Transport Department and the State Police would ensure that the mirrors are fitted within a stipulated time limit.

Bengal Transport Dept introduces app for emergency services

An app for emergency services has been created under the aegis of the Bengal Transport Department, aimed at helping commuters in distress. The app would link the public with police departments, which in turn would connect with ambulance and hospital services.

During the first phase to commence next month, four police commissionerates are going to be part of the project – Kolkata, Bidhannagar, Barrackpore and Howrah. The app would be of help during accidents, criminal attacks, attacks on women and similar situations.

When in danger, people can send messages directly to police stations, the Transport Department, fire services, hospitals and pre-designated relatives and friends via the GPS of the mobile phone, which has to be kept on. Only a button needs to be clicked.

The app has a two-way system. Hence messages from the police and others would also reach the mobile phone. An SMS would reach the pre-designated relative or friend’s number with the location of the person marked on a screenshot of Google Maps.

Through the usage of the app, the police would also be able to map areas where particular types of crimes occur more frequently, and therefore arrange adequate precautionary measures.

Source: Ebela

পথে বিপদ থেকে উদ্ধার পেতে অ্যাপ চালু আগামী মাসে

রাজ্য পরিবহণ দপ্তরের উদ্যোগে তৈরি পথ-সুরক্ষা সংক্রান্ত অ্যাপ চালু হতে চলেছে আগামী মাসেই। প্রথম ধাপে কলকাতা,বিধাননগর, ব্যারাকপুর এবং হাওড়া কমিশনারেট এলাকায় চালু হতে চলেছে অ্যাপ। এ নিয়ে সংশ্লিষ্ট দপ্তরগুলির মধ্যে সমন্বয়ের কাজ চলছে বলে পরিবহণ দপ্তর সূত্রের খবর।

পথ দুর্ঘটনা, দুষ্কৃতী আক্রমণ কিংবা মহিলাদের বিরুদ্ধে সংঘটিত অপরাধ-সহ রাস্তায় যে কোনও রকম বিপদে বিশেষ কার্যকরী হতে পারে এই অ্যাপ।

জিপিএস নির্ভর ওই অ্যাপ থেকে মোবাইলের মাধ্যমে পাঠানো বার্তা পৌঁছবে পুলিশ, পরিবহণ দপ্তর, দমকল, হাসপাতাল এবং বিপন্ন ব্যাক্তির আত্মীয়-পরিজনদের কাছে। নির্দিষ্ট অপশনে ক্লিক করলেই পুলিশ কন্ট্রোলরুমে ‘অ্যালার্ম’ বাজবে। সেখান থেকে যিনি সাহায্য চাইছেন তার নাম, পরিচয়, ফোন নম্বর এবং প্রকৃত অবস্থান জানতে পারবে পুলিশ। বার্তাও ভেসে উঠবে সংশ্লিষ্ট ব্যাক্তির মোবাইলে।