Because there aren’t enough charging stations installed by private enterprises, people have to go far to charge their cars; they want the GCC to provide the facilities in 15 zones.
The delay in locating government property for the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Chennai has drawn criticism from locals.
T. Selvaraj, a resident of Anna Nagar, reported that they had met with council members of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and asked them to help with land identification. “The lack of charging stations installed by private enterprises in the city is causing a lot of issues for those who own electric vehicles. To charge the car, we must go great distances. He added that they had requested the council members to address the issue and that “if the GCC sets up the facilities in each neighborhood of every ward in all 15 zones, we will save time.”
According to T.K. Shanmugam, head of the Federation of North Chennai Residents’ Welfare Association, private organizations have not installed EV charging stations in north Chennai. After several kilometers, my electric car starts to slow down. However, there aren’t any charging outlets nearby. In places like Madhavaram and Tondiarpet, we have to travel great distances to go to the facility. Electric vehicles are a cost-effective choice for daily wage workers. Poor people in north Chennai will gain from EV charging stations if the GCC installs them, he stated.
In front of the MLA, GCC councillor T.V. Shemmozhi claimed he met with GCC officials on Saturday to talk about installing EV charging stations in Chennai Corporation parks. “The establishment of facilities in parks like Thiru.Vi.Ka Park has been approved by the officials,” he stated.
“The residents want the charging stations to be operational right away. They look to their political officials to meet their requirements when the commercial sector is unable to do so,” he continued.
The Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation Limited (TNGECL) has been in discussions with organizations like the GCC in recent months about installing EV charging stations in playgrounds, parking lots, and parks. The absence of revenue for fuel pump operators who have established stations in certain parts of the city, however, has also been brought up by officials.
According to TNGECL Managing Director Aneesh Sekhar, 15 government properties in the city have been selected to house the facility under the Public-Private Partnership approach. “We are in the advanced phases of developing this revenue sharing mechanism for charge point operators on government property. The feasibility study has been completed. The last approval is still pending. This is a fast victory to get things started. In order to find land for the operators, we have also written to every municipal government and land-owning organization. He stated, “We still have a long way to go.”
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