Kolkata: The New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) will install and operate 12 fast electric vehicle charging stations across the township. Charging at these stations will be cheaper than the privately operated stations.
“The NKDA will start the work on setting up EV charging stations across 12 places in New Town. Charging at these stations will be affordable for motorists and these stations will have high speed chargers. The agency that will come up with the stations has been selected. This is a part of developing EV infrastructure in New Town,” said the NKDA chairman, Debashis Sen.
At present, most of the privately run EV charging stations sell electricity for Rs 17 or Rs 18 per unit. “The NKDA will be selling electricity for Rs 12 or Rs 13 per unit,” said an official.
The 12 locations where the EV charging stations will come up are the areas near Meira service station, beside Axis Mall on MAR- 1111, near Professor Shanku Park behind City Centre II, beside Spencers mall of Sukhobristi, near Eco Park gate No 4, near New Town School in DB Block, at 6th intersection near Akankha More, near Chittaranjan National Cancer Hospital in DJ block, near Biswa Bangla gate in CC block, near Rosedale and Uniworld city housing complexes, near Mela ground on Smart Street and within the parking lot of Biswa Bangla convention centre.
There are around 30 EV charging stations across New Town, including those run by the Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco).
The NKDA will also reserve space for electric car parking and charging units at the multi-level parking lots, which the authorities are building in New Town. Like the NKDA, the Hidco has also been developing infrastructure for electric buses in New Town. With the state government already coming up with an electric vehicle policy, the Hidco is working on a plan to develop a centre of excellence for promoting the use of electric vehicles in the township. The centre will also assist the conversion of traditional vehicles into electric vehicles, said an official.
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