Odisha Governor converts most of his official fleet to electric vehicles

Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Driven by a strong commitment to reduce fossil fuel consumption, Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati has converted most of his official fleet to electric vehicles (EV) and set an ambitious target to transform Raj Bhawan into a net-zero energy campus.

“My objective is to bring down use of fossil fuel at all levels. So we decided to switch to electric vehicles, which will not only lessen our dependency on petrol and diesel, it will also help our surrounding pollution [remain] free,” Mr. Kambhampati said, addressing a press conference on Saturday.

Even some two-wheeler EV scooters have also been procured for Raj Bhawan. Employees of Raj Bhawan are encouraged to switch to EVs as part of a special drive to stop use of fossil fuel.

Mr. Kambhampati has urged citizens to embrace green energy to reduce pollution, safeguard the planet and to save foreign exchange by reducing the import of crude oil.

Similarly, a 150-kilowatt solar power plant is already operational within the premises, with an additional 400 kilowatts set to be installed soon. “The monthly consumption of electricity is about 50,000 units in Raj Bhawan while 16,000 units are being generated. Days are not far ahead when Raj Bhawan will feed the grids,” said the Odisha Governor.

He urged people to take advantage of Central and State schemes that promote use of solar power by provisioning high subsidy.

Mr. Kambhampati appreciated the Odisha government for providing an additional subsidy under the PM Surya Ghar scheme, stating that it would encourage more people to adopt solar energy.

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, who holds the energy portfolio, said the State government adopted a policy to source power in all government buildings from solar energy. Subsequently, solar panels will be installed in all government residential quarters.