Residents lament delay in identifying land to set up EV charging stations

Residents in Chennai demand government land for EV charging stations due to private sector delays, seeking convenience and accessibility.

: Residents have raised complaints about the delay in identifying government land for setting up electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the city.

Anna Nagar resident T. Selvaraj said they had met Chennai Corporation councillors and urged them to facilitate the identification of lands. “Those in possession of electric vehicles are facing numerous problems because of the inadequate number of charging stations set up by private companies in the city. We have to drive long distances to get the vehicle charged. We will save time if the GCC sets up the facilities in each neighbourhood of every ward in all 15 zones,” he said, adding that they had asked the councillors to resolve the problem.

Federation of North Chennai Residents’ Welfare Association president T.K. Shanmugam said EV charging stations had not been set up by private agencies in north Chennai. “My electric vehicle slows down after a few kilometres. But there are no charging stations in our area. We have to cover long distances to access the facility in areas such as Madhavaram and Tondiarpet. Daily wage labourers save money by opting for electric vehicles. If the GCC sets up EV charging stations, poor residents of north Chennai will benefit from them,” he said.

GCC councillor T.V. Shemmozhi said he held a meeting with GCC officials on Saturday in the presence of the MLA to discuss the installation of EV charging stations in Chennai Corporation parks. “The officials have agreed to set up the facilities in parks such as Thiru.Vi.Ka Park,” he said.

“Residents want the charging stations to start functioning without any delay. When the private sector fails, they turn to the elected representatives to fulfill their needs,” he added.

In the past few months, the Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation Limited (TNGECL) has been holding talks with agencies such as the GCC to set up EV charging stations in parks, parking lots, and playgrounds. However, officials have also pointed to the lack of income of fuel pump operators who have set up the stations in some areas of the city.

TNGECL Managing Director Aneesh Sekhar said government lands at 15 locations have been identified in the city to set up the facility under the Public-Private Partnership model. “Work on this revenue sharing model for charge point operators on government land is in the advanced stages. We have done the feasibility study. The final approval is yet to come. This is a quick win to set the ball rolling. We have also written to all local bodies and land-owning agencies to identify land for the operators. We have a long way to go,” he said.