“This initiative represents the first-ever commercial deployment of hydrogen-powered buses in India, and that too at the highest altitude anywhere in the world, making it a globally significant milestone in green mobility,” an official spokesperson said.
The ceremony was held in the presence of Administrative Secretary, Transport Department, Bhupesh Chaudhary along with senior officials from NTPC, SIDCO, and other concerned departments.
Subsequent to the flag-off, the NTPC team called on Chief Secretary Pawan Kotwal and apprised him of the project’s successful implementation. Kotwal lauded NTPC’s pioneering efforts and observed that the successful operationalisation of hydrogen buses in such extreme conditions could usher in a new era of hydrogen fuel cell mobility in India. He also directed the NTPC team to document the entire experiment and operational learning, so that it may serve as a benchmark for similar initiatives in other regions of the country.
The spokesperson said, “This initiative, developed through the collaborative efforts of the UT Administration and NTPC, stands as a testament to India’s growing leadership in renewable energy innovation and represents a major leap toward sustainable public transport in ecologically sensitive and strategically vital regions.”