The state transport department has notified the complete waiver of road tax and registration fee for battery-operated vehicles as mandated under the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy 2020.

Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said the government is accepting feedback from the public on the scheme, and that final orders will be issued three days later.

The gazette says, “..the said draft will be taken into consideration after expiry of a period of three days from the date on which the copies of this notification as published in the Gazette of Delhi are made available to the public. Objections or suggestions in this behalf should be addressed to Secretary-cum-Commissioner (Transport), Government of National Capital of Delhi, Transport Department..”

Reacting to the notification, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, calling it “another crucial step” towards a pollution-free Delhi.

“This incentive-based policy will encourage large scale adoption of electric vehicles, and bring us closer to fulfilling our dream of making Delhi the EV capital of India,” Kejriwal tweeted.

Kejriwal had announced the policy on August 7, with a focus on increasing the adoption of EVs in the city by incentivising their purchase and use. The policy aims to register 500,000 electric vehicles in the city by 2024.

Gahlot said this policy has come into force from the date of issue of the notification. “Road tax will not be paid on the electric vehicles starting October 10, 2020,” he said.

He also took to Twitter and said, “Congrats Delhi! As promised by CM @ArvindKejriwal when announcing landmark EV Policy, Delhi govt has EXEMPTED road tax on Battery Operated Vehicles. With right incentives & supporting infra, we are determined to ensure Delhi leads the country in rapid transition to Electric Vehicles.”

At present, road tax ranges from 4% to 10% of the cost of the vehicle, while registration could cost up to ₹3,000.

In addition, a subsidy of ₹10,000 per kWh is to be given for the first 1,000 e-cars or electric four wheelers, capped at ₹1,50,000 per vehicle. A subsidy of ₹5,000 per kWh of the battery capacity up to ₹30,000 is also to be given on the purchase of each electric two-wheeler, auto-rickshaw, rickshaw and freight vehicle. To push people to shift to EVs, the policy also has a “scrapping incentive” for those who make the switch.