TN CM rolls out first fleet of battery-run autorickshaws

: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami flagged off the first set of electric autorickshaws for public use, at the Secretariat here on Friday.

Palaniswami had, in August-September, undertaken a tri- nation tour as part of attracting investments and signed a memorandum of understanding with Dubai-based KMC Group and M Auto Electric Mobility.

M Auto Electric Mobility and KMC Group planned investments of about Rs 100 crore for converting autorickshaws that run on petrol to battery-operated ones.

The investment envisages creation of 5,000 jobs in the Tamil Nadu, an official release said.

At a function held at the Secretariat as a part of rolling out 100 M-electric auto rickshaws, Palaniswami flagged off four such vehicles, an official release said.

The autorickshaws, after a one full-time charge, would run for about 100 km. They are equipped with CCTV cameras, GPS, panic button among other features, the release said.

Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, industries minister M C Sampath, Transport minister M R Vijayabhaskar and senior government officials were present on the occasion.