As it prepares for the inauguration of the Ram Mandir on January 22, Ayodhya is readying itself for the tourist rush with a new set of electric vehicles. The city is adopting a green push by introducing a fleet of electric cars as well as electric carts to encourage zero-carbon mobility to and from the Ram Mandir.’
Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) has introduced 12 new electric cars for tourists to hire, in partnership with a private enterprise. These cars, together with the existing e-cart service meant for six people in one sitting, seek to make it easier for visitors, especially the elderly, to navigate significant sites such as Hanuman Garhi and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi.
The ADA has introduced 12 Tata Tigor EVs, a product of India’s Make in India program, to meet the rising number of tourists. These vehicles, which have a 315 km range on a single charge and IP67-rated battery packs, will accommodate four passengers each, enabling efficient and eco-friendly city travel.
These electric cars will be parked at Ayodhya Cantt Railway Station, Ayodhya Dham Junction, and Maharishi Valmiki International Airport Ayodhya to welcome VVIPs, as per a report by news agency ANI.
“These electric cars will be provided for all those who come here to visit Ram Mandir. You can find electric cars everywhere in Ayodhya now. Currently, there are 12 cars in the fleet which will be available for booking via a mobile application,” Dilip Pandey, local supervisor of the electric car taxi service said in an interaction with ANI.
Furthermore, Chinese-made electric golf carts, which have been in service since the Deepotsav program, will be used to ferry six people at a time. These e-carts will especially assist older pilgrims travelling between Hanumangarhi and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple complex.
Plans for putting in a further 200 electric vehicles for local services and airport transfers are currently in the works.
Tata Power and the Ayodhya Development Authority have also collaborated to deploy EV charging stations at several sites as part of the city’s infrastructural development. These stations will be located at critical locations such as Parking Survya Kund, Guptar Ghat, and MLCP parking.
