Tehkhand gets Delhi’s second automated vehicle testing station as DTC adds 50 electric buses

The four lanes at DTC’s Tehkhand Depot are designed to test up to 72,000 vehicles a year, giving Delhi a second automated fitness-testing station after Nand Nagri.

Two lanes at the new facility are for heavy motor vehicles, while one each is assigned to light motor vehicles and two-wheelers. The station will test braking, suspension, headlight alignment, side-slip, emissions and vehicle underbodies. The Delhi government said automation will reduce human intervention in the certification process and improve accuracy.

Chief minister Rekha Gupta said commercial-vehicle owners had previously travelled to other parts of NCR for fitness certification because Delhi did not have enough testing capacity. The government has positioned the Tehkhand station as part of its road-safety and pollution-control work.

More buses, including a Rewari service

DTC has also inducted 50 new 12-metre electric buses, taking Delhi’s fleet to about 6,840 buses: 5,088 electric and 1,752 CNG vehicles. The new buses have CCTV cameras, panic buttons and other passenger-safety features.

The government plans to expand the overall fleet to about 14,000 buses by 2028-29. The addition follows women-only electric bus services introduced on Delhi routes in August.

An interstate electric bus service has begun between Dhaula Kuan and Rewari, running through Gurgaon, Manesar and Dharuhera. The 86-km trip is priced at Rs 153. Buses leave Dhaula Kuan from 6.05am to 6pm; return services from Rewari operate from 9.35am to 9.25pm.

Charging stations at two depots

Public charging stations have also opened at DTC’s Hasanpur and Ghazipur depots near Anand Vihar. Each has four 240-kW chargers that can serve heavy commercial electric vehicles as well as electric cars, backed by a 1,600-kVA compact substation.