Theft incidents in March led authorities to require CCTV cameras and security guards at the charging stations.

Chandigarh: In a major development, the Chandigarh administration has activated seven EV charging stations after delays caused by an impasse between the Municipal Corporation (MC) and the UT administration over their installation in parking areas. This comes after a year and a half and seven official warnings.

Officials from the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST) announced the operational stations are in Sector 44-C, Sector 44-D, Sector 43-B, Sector 7, Manimajra, and Lake Sports Club. In phases, 15-20 stations are expected to be functional by the end of June. Delays were primarily due to the prolonged approval process involving various departments.

The operators will determine Payment methods, with the necessary infrastructure for fee collection expected to be ready by Tuesday.

Earlier, UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit had set a deadline of March end for all 53 stations to be operational, later extended to April end. In the private sector, 20 charging stations are already operational, and three petrol stations have installed EV charging facilities. Nearly 8,000 electric vehicles are registered in Chandigarh, and additional land has been identified for more stations if needed.

Theft incidents in March led authorities to require CCTV cameras and security guards at the charging stations. The UT administration's EV Policy, notified on September 20, 2022, resulted in 23 stations being installed at nine locations in November 2022, featuring 92 charging guns for simultaneous charging.