Forest dept mulls complete shift to EVs, even inside tiger reserves

Nagpur: The Maharashtra forest department is actively considering a complete shift of its departmental fleet to electric vehicles, following PM Narendra Modi's appeal to cut down the country's fossil fuel import bill, state forest minister Ganesh Naik told TOI in an exclusive interaction on the eve of World Environment Day.Naik said the department wants to lead from the front on the PM's call, and work in that direction has already begun. The transition, however, will require detailed consultations with the state transport department before it is rolled out. State forest minister Ganesh Naik said, "PM Narendra Modi ji has urged the nation to cut down on fossil fuel imports, and the forest department wants to lead from the front on this. We are actively considering a complete transition of our departmental fleet to electric vehicles. Since this decision involves the state transport department as well, it will require detailed consultations and may take some time." Naik added that an eventual shift to electric vehicles even inside tiger reserves was being looked at as a long-term plan, though no timeline was fixed for that. On safari vehicles inside tiger reserves, Naik said, "Shifting of safari vehicles to electric mode is a long-term plan as it involves multiple stakeholders. There is no timeline for it but we want to implement PM Modi's suggestion fully, so later even this will be taken up for a possible policy framing." The transition would cover vehicles used across the department's field formations, including those deployed in tiger reserves, territorial divisions and wildlife sanctuaries. On ground, the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) is already preparing a proposal to shift all tourist vehicles operating inside the reserve to electric power, sources said. The plan is to replace petrol-run Gypsys that together consume over 1,000 litres of fuel daily. Sources said just more than 300 vehicles are currently engaged in tourism inside TATR, almost all running on petrol, with an average circuit route of 35 km. Many of the vehicles are old and spare parts are increasingly difficult to procure. The proposal will also include financing options to help local vehicle owners purchase brand-new electric vehicles, with participation from state and central govt agencies as well as private stakeholders. Sources said an electric vehicle could cost Rs 15 lakh or more, and the economic impact on the largely tribal community dependent on wildlife tourism for livelihood is being studied to ensure affordability.