In Chandigarh, thieves target unguarded EV charging stations, steal equipment worth Rs 1 crore in 2 months

Sources revealed that the UT Adviser Rakesh Verma also addressed the matter with CREST officials at his office on Tuesday.

“We filed a complaint with the local police last week. On Tuesday, an FIR was lodged. This matter concerns law and order and we are exploring methods to safeguard these charging stations,” T C Nautiyal, who oversees CREST, said.

CREST is responsible for the operation of these charging stations and has subcontracted management to private companies. (Express Photo)

Charging stations for EV vehicles are being set up at 53 locations across Chandigarh, including parking areas contracted from the municipal corporation, and are scheduled to be operational from March 31. CREST is responsible for the operation of these charging stations and has subcontracted management to private companies. However, there are no safety measures in place. Visits to several locations, including Sector 16 and Sector 24, revealed that the properties were left unguarded, with no CCTV cameras either.

Police patrolling vehicles have now been directed to make rounds of areas where the charging stations are located, a police officer said. “The concerned departments should also deploy their workers to guard these charging stations,” the officer added.

The UT administration introduced an EV policy in September 2022 but faced criticism for not providing sufficient charging infrastructure in Chandigarh, where approximately 7,000 EVs are registered.

As part of the administration’s EV policy, 177 charging guns will be made available in various parking areas across the city, including Rock Garden, Multilevel Parking, Sector 17, High Court Extension Parking, Sector 51A petrol pump, Sector 22B Paid Parking, Opposite Elante Mall parking, Sector 21C parking, Sector 26 parking, Sector 34 Zone-2 Paid Parking, Car Bazar Parking Area Mani Majra, Sector 13 etc.