The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry in partnership with The British Deputy High Commission, Kolkata jointly organised a virtual event on “E- Mobility - Infrastructure, Business Readiness Strategies and Green Jobs Creation” on 14th January 2021 focusing on “Switching to Clean transport”, one of the key themes of COP26. 

The Bengal Chamber is organizing a series of joint initiatives with British Deputy High Commission in Kolkata in the run up to COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, to be held in Glasgow, United Kingdom, from 1 to 12 November 2021 under the presidency of the United Kingdom.

“Ahead of COP 26, we are committed to working even more closely with West Bengal in its initiatives to accelerate state-wide adoption of electric mobility and bring in innovative strategies to enhance the pace of transition, creating greener jobs and cleaner air”, said Mr. Nick Low, British Deputy High Commissioner to Kolkata. In the sideline of the event, British Deputy High Commissioner of Kolkata also said, “In developing effective vaccines for SARS-CoV2 in record time – in a time no one would have thought possible – the international community has shown the power of common purpose and collective action. The United Kingdom and India have been at the forefront of that effort. We can do the same with climate change. A cleaner, greener, healthier and more prosperous world is possible. There is no more noble cause.”  

“The Bengal Chamber believes that the State has great potential in E-Mobility ecospace being led by the achievement of electric vehicles in public transport which has received global recognition being featured in EV Outlook of International Energy Agency. The Chamber is ready to engage with all stakeholders to create infrastructure readiness assuming increased fleets towards the ambitious target of 30% Zero Emission Vehicles by 2030,” said Mr. Gautam Ray, Chairperson, Energy and Environment Committee and Vice President, The Bengal Chamber. 

“The Chamber believes that e-mobility may also be a viable option in connecting to the last mile and create green jobs. Towards this, the Chamber’s endeavour is to promote e-mobility in cross segment of transport mix of the State including e-rickshaws and totos. Green jobs are also expected to bring gender parity with appropriate skilling and financial models,”, said Mr. Deb A Mukherjee, President, The Bengal Chamber. 

The event was the first precursor to the 14th Edition of our Annual Environment and Energy Conclave to be held on 26th and 27th August on theme “At the threshold of COP26”. 

80% of India’s vehicle fuels are dependent on imports. India’s target to achieve 30% EVs by 2030 will save 474 MT of oil imports and 846 MT of CO2 emissions. Regulatory uncertainties and structural barriers like limited choice, unavailability of required EVs in India, high upfront costs, lack of charging infrastructure and after-sales services are drawbacks for the EVs to prosper. However, Government of West Bengal has introduced fleet of e-buses in Kolkata for public transport, as featured in The Global EV Outlook of International Energy Agency. Adequate efforts and appropriate interventions are needed to accelerate penetration of EVs in the transport mix of Kolkata along with tier two and tier three cities and towns to align Bengal with the United Nations’ theme for COP26 this year focusing ‘Switching to Clean transport’. The aim is to create action-oriented roadmaps on EV acceleration engaging with electric vehicles manufactures, charging infrastructure providers/developers, financers and policy makers. A Report of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) indicates that unemployment rate in West Bengal in 6.5%. EV adoption in rural and semi urban places will also livelihood generation including women supported by appropriate financing models like that of micro finances. 

The other key speakers were Mr. Rajanvir Singh Kapur, IAS, Managing Director, West Bengal Transport Corporation, Mr. Anirban Ghosh, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra Group, Ms. Hannah Feiner, Public Affairs Manager, The London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC), Mr. Vishwanath Tiwari, Chief E-Rickshaw & Dynex Business, Exide Industries Limited, Mr. Vikash Mishra, Founder and CEO, MOEVING, Ms. Dolon Ganguly, Programme Director, Azad Foundation, Mr. Sanjoy Mukherjee, Vice President (Director Technical), CESC Limited, Ms. Divya Sharma, Executive Director, The Climate Group, Mr. N Mohan, Deputy General Manager, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), Mr. Appurva Appan, Associate, RE Mobility, World Business Council for Sustainable Development and Mr. Alekhya Datta, Area Convener, Electricity & Fuels Group, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).