Come May 2024, a fleet of five hydrogen-fuel cell commercial buses shall start operating at a height of 11,500 feet in the eco-fragile Himalayan region of Ladakh.

The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Ltd (NTPC) under its Corporate Social Responsibility  (CSR) initiative is going to provide these buses to the Ladakh administration which is already working towards making Ladakh a carbon-neutral region.

A high-level meeting was chaired by the Administrative Secretary of the Transport Department, UT Ladakh Amit Sharma to finalize the draft proposal of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Ltd. and the Transport Department, Ladakh.

The UT administration is racing against time to ensure the successful implementation of the zero-emission hydrogen mobility project in Leh.

On ground zero, the UT administration has already started raising the required infrastructure at  Changthang to ensure the hassle-free launch of the ambitious project.

Speaking to The Pioneer over the telephone Amit Sharma said the transport department plans to run these hydrogen fuel cell buses in Leh and its peripheral areas by May 2024.

He said the UT administration is awaiting the fleet of buses to arrive.

According to the proposal, these buses can cover a distance of 225 km per day. The seating capacity of each bus is 33 plus drivers.

After the Leh district, the Kargil district with five such buses will be covered in the second phase.

“Since these buses get their energy from hydrogen, there will be no emission of harmful gases, except water vapours and warm air. They are more efficient than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles and produce no harmful tailpipe emissions,” said Sharma.

“Hydrogen fuel cell buses in Ladakh would be the first of its kind initiative in India. Since the Prime Minister has accorded top priority to make Ladakh a carbon-neutral region, we are doing everything possible to achieve the objective,” he added