Will Hyderabadis be finally able to breathe fresh air? Will we be able to get rid of those dirty buses and badly maintained trucks spewing thick black fumes that choke the city roads? Well, the report of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that revealed the high pollution levels in Indian cities has served as an eye-opener for the government. Soon, electric buses, cars and non-polluting auto-rickshaws will crisscross the city roads in a bid to get rid of the pollution suffocating the Hyderabad city.

The state government is planning to place orders for for around 20 electric buses and 10 to 20 e-cars under the FAME India scheme, which is intended to promote environment friendly road transport system in major cities across the country.

Central government had brought out this scheme to provide Rs 795 crore to promote electric vehicles in the cities during the first two fiscals from this year. These vehicles will also bring down the operational costs.

Transport department principal secretary Sunil Sharma, who recently attended a meeting conducted by the Union government in Delhi, said the state will partner with the Union government to implement the scheme. “The state government will send a detailed proposal to ply electric vehicles in a week’s time,” Sunil Sharma told Express on Monday.

While diesel and petrol vehicles will cost Rs 10 to Rs 15 per kilometer, electric-powered vehicles will just cost 20 paise to 80 paise per kilometer. Already there is a five year motor vehicle tax exemption in the state for electric vehicles and the state is also mooting the idea of giving VAT exemption to such vehicles.