3 years on, EV charging stations in Dharamsala lying unused

Nine electric vehicle (EV) charging stations installed in Dharamsala under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electrical Vehicles (FAME) scheme of the Central Government are lying unused for the past three years in the absence of power connections.

The EV charging stations were installed during the previous BJP government at various places in Dharamsala, including one near the international cricket stadium. It was only recently after receiving public complaints regarding a non-functional EV charging station that the Dharamsala Municipal Commissioner held an inquiry into the working of EV charging stations and found that the machines were not working.

Municipal Commissioner Zaffar Iqbal said that initially, he had the impression that the machines had been installed under the Smart City project of Dharamsala. However, after the inquiry, it came to light that these were installed by a Rajasthan-based company under a contract from the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries. It was also found that vital infrastructure like power transformers and other equipment were not installed due to which the EV charging stations were lying unused. “I have written to the Assistant General Manager of the company that had installed the EV charging stations to make them functional,” he added.

Iqbal said that since the Dharamsala MC or the Smart City project had nothing to do with the installation of EV charging stations, no direct action could be taken against the company that installed it. The company had sought land for installing 10 EV charging stations in Dharamsala and the MC had done the needful. The company installed nine EV charging stations, he added.

According to sources, Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL) had installed the EV charging stations while another company was to look after their operation and maintenance. At the end of each operational period, the REIL was to reimburse to the Dharamsala MC ?1 per kWh of power units used at these charging stations.

No power connections to charge vehicles

• Installed by a Rajasthan-based company which got the contract from the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries
• Another company was to look after the operation and maintenance of all charging stations
• The MC or the Smart City project had nothing to do with installation
• No power connections to charge electric vehicles