Ahmedabad: Shah flags off battery-operated buses, participates in tree plantation drive

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday flagged off eight eco-friendly, air-conditioned buses here and took part in a tree plantation drive.

He also inaugurated a battery charging station.

Lauding the efforts of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Shah said that the city has taken a lead on electric mobility in the country.

He appealed to the civic authorities to keep themselves prepared for technological needs such as the establishment of efficient battery exchange stations.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rup, who was also present on the occasion, said the electric buses are made indigenously which echoes the sentiments of Make in India.

He said 50 electric buses have been provisioned for Ahmedabad but in a very short span of time, 500 electric buses will be put to service in the city alone.

Meanwhile, the Home Minister also took part in the concluding ceremony of 'Mission Million Trees' campaign. The Mission, which started on World Environment Day on June 5 this year, has been concluded with the plantation of 10,87,000 trees in the city, his Lok Sabha constituency, according to an official press release.

Speaking on the occasion, Shah urged women to stop using plastics bags while purchasing groceries and vegetables.

Reminding people of the Paris climate accord, the Home Minister outlined the danger of ozone layer depletion.

Shah had earlier written a letter to the chairmen and secretaries of the resident societies in his parliamentary constituency to plant at least five trees in their society which have more than 100 years of age such as banyan and peepal trees.

Expressing satisfaction over the response, the Home Minister said he received 3,216 positive replies in which the societies referred to the arrangements made for regular watering and maintenance of the trees.

( With inputs from ANI )