Govt defends petrol car tender in Parliament

New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) The Environment Ministry on Thursday said most of the vehicles in its fleet are electric, CNG or hybrids and clarified that its latest bid document for new cars includes flexibility to hire e-vehicles.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said, "In the recent past, the ministry has procured only four vehicles, all of hybrid category, through Government e-Marketplace (GeM) in accordance with the instructions issued by Department of Expenditure." He added that the bid document has "provisions which allow flexibility in hiring of e-vehicles within the overall strength of vehicles proposed to be hired." The clarification came against the backdrop of reports in May that the ministry floated a tender for 60 vehicles in Delhi, of which 57 were petrol-powered cars and just three were cleaner-fuel options -- two Toyota Hycross hybrids and one Tata Nexon EV.

The estimated value of that tender was around Rs 8.4 crore, according to reports.

The decision drew criticism because it came just days after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the NCR issued an advisory to all government bodies on May 2, urging them to procure only electric, hybrid or CNG-powered vehicles.

Singh told the Upper House that the ministry has also hired e-vehicles through Energy Efficiency Services Limited, a joint venture of PSUs under the Power Ministry, and that "majority of the vehicles being hired are e-vehicles or CNG or hybrid vehicles". PTI GVS AMJ AMJ