No proposal for cess on petrol, diesel: Himachal CM Sukhvinder Sukhu

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 20

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that his government was committed to making Himachal a ‘green state’ by March 2026 but there was no proposal to impose a cess on petrol or diesel.

He said that the government was working on a mission mode to accomplish the target of making Himachal the first green state of the country. “It will take my government around four years to bring the cash-strapped economy back on track and several initiatives are being taken to generate the much-needed resources,” he added.

The Chief Minister informed the Vidhan Sabha that the tender process for the creation one of the six green corridors had already been started. He said that Rs 36 crore would be spent on setting up electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in all Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation workshops.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that the state government was committed to making Himachal a ‘green state’ but there was no plan to incentivise the sale of electric vehicles or setting up of charging stations at present.

Agnihotri said that the Transport Department had identified 208 locations for the installation of public charging stations along all highways in the state. He was replying to Gagret MLA Chaitanya Sharma’s query on the creation of an ecosystem in Himachal and incentivising the sale of electric vehicles, during the Question Hour.

He said, “The department is in the process of transferring land in the name of various government departments. After identifying more land, the number of public charging stations will rise to 400.”

Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar said, “The Chief Minister has announced a scheme in the Budget under which farmers can seek subsidy for installing barbed wire and a chain link to protect their fields from stray cattle.” He was replying to Rajinder Rana’s question regarding stray animals damaging crops.

Tender process on for green corrior

The tendering process for the creation of one of the six green corridors has already been started. An amount of Rs 36 crore will be spent on setting up electric vehicle charging stations in all workshops of the Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation. — Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Chief Minister

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