MUMBAI: More than a year after the BMC bought its first electric vehicle (EV) for the then mayor Kishori Pednekar, the BMC has scrapped its deal to deliver four more EVs as the selected company allegedly failed to supply the remaining EVs on time and also hiked its rates. The company, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), which is a central government company, claimed that it was the BMC that delayed signing an agreement with it, due to which there was a delay and the cost went up.
In May last year, instead of buying new EVs, the BMC decided to rent these cars for a period of eight years. By renting, the BMC was to spend around Rs 32 lakh per car. The BMC had planned to lease five electric cars for civic netas such as the then leader of the House Shiv Sena corporator Vishakha Raut, leader of the Opposition Congress Corporator Ravi Raja and mayor Kishori Pednekar among others. In August 2021, only one EV, for Pednekar was delivered and received with much fanfare by then environment minister Aaditya Thackeray and municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal.
