Highlights-
- The transport department staged a computerized draw of lots for the allotment of 4,261 vehicles.
- The major goal of deploying electric vehicles was to reduce pollution and improve last-mile connectivity.
- Among the total seats, Thirty-three percent (1,406) seats were set aside for female candidates.
The transport department of Delhi staged a computerized draw of lots for the allotment of 4,261 vehicles, indicating that electric vehicles may soon be seen on the roads of Delhi. All selected applicants will receive a Letter of Intent (LOI) soon. According to an official release, women will drive unique lilac-colored e-autos while males will drive blue e-autos.
Initiative to reduce pollution
The major goal of deploying electric vehicles was to reduce pollution and improve last-mile connectivity. The initiative was launched last year, and the Department of Transportation solicited online applications for 4,261 e-autos to be registered. The plan had previously been delayed due to a lawsuit filed in court over the government’s decision to allow electric vehicles to replace CNG cars within the one lakh limit set by the Supreme Court.
Unique color scheme
Among the total seats, Thirty-three percent (1,406) seats were set aside for female candidates. The agency had also notified a unique color scheme – blue for conventional automobiles and lilac for those driven by women – to improve visibility, assure compliance, and avoid exploitation of the system.
The computerized random draw of lots
In less than a month, the department had received 20,589 applications, with 19,846 of them coming from men and the rest from women. Recently, a single computerized random draw of lots was done to pick 2,855 male candidates, 743 female applicants, and 285 more applicants who would be placed on a waiting. The drawing was overseen by a commission comprised of top transportation officials and a special invitee from the Department of Women and Child Development.
According to the transportation department, women candidates will be directly eligible for the program and will be granted LOIs, subject to the elimination of faults in applications. In the following weeks, the department will also reopen applications for women, and if the remaining seats remain un-allocated, those autos will be assigned to the DMRC to run through an aggregator/operator – but the autos will exclusively have women drivers.
