With an eye on the future, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on New Year’s Day flagged off 100 CNG buses and inaugurated Guwahati’s first CNG station set up by Purba Bharti Gas near ISBT.
The 100 new buses running on CNG will be a first in Assam and will be in line with the government’s vision of achieving Net Zero Carbon Emission by 2070, the CM informed on Twitter.
He wrote, “A green era has begun in Guwahati! Happy to flag off 100 CNG buses & Guwahati's first CNG station set up by Purba Bharti Gas near ISBT, Guwahati. With introduction of clean & green energy in public transport, we're moving closer to our goal of Net Zero Carbon Emission by 2070.”
Speaking at the launch event, CM Sarma said, “Citizens of Guwahati will soon get another 200 electric-operated buses. This will be another opportunity for Assam State Transport Corporation to turn profitable. ASTC will get a total of 300 buses under them for free.”
The Assam CM urged the officials and employees of the transport department to work efficiently. He went on, “This first CNG station has been made operational by Purba Bharti Gas with help from Indian Oil. We have taken our first steps towards converting all vehicles to CNG.”
“Purba Bharti Gas will provide gas connection to every household. The work is slated to begin in the coming three years,” added CM Sarma.
Earlier in December, 2022, reports emerged that the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) was set to roll out Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses from 2023 in Guwahati.
The CNG bus project has been implemented by the ASTC under the Guwahati Smart City Project. The state government had taken a decision to operate 100 CNG buses in Guwahati and a tender for the same was floated.
Later on, following the bidding process, Tata Motors brought 68 CNG buses to the state while the remaining 32 vehicles were to be delivered shortly. These buses will run in a phased manner and two filing stations have been set up for providing fuel to the new buses.
The two filling stations are at Betkuchi near the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) and at Ulubari. The buses have been made operational to reduce pollution and save money on purchasing considerably more expensive fuel.