Shimla, Jan. 17 -- Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday called on Union minister for housing and urban affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar at New Delhi and urged him to provide special relaxations for hill states under the PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme, citing operational challenges arising from difficult geographical conditions. He also urged for a No Objection Certificate (NoC) from BBMB for transfer and allotment of 47 bigha of surplus vacant land at Sundernagar for "integrated office" of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited, (HPPCL) to ease its functioning as it is located in different locations of the state as of now. The CM apprised the Union minister that no specific relaxations have been extended to hill states under the scheme which has limited Himachal's ability to avail its benefits despite the state's strong commitment towards green and sustainable mobility. He informed that under the existing norms of the scheme, only Shimla is eligible for coverage, as it applies to cities with a population of over ten lakh. He emphasized that several urban local bodies in the state, including Dharamshala, Mandi, Solan, Palampur, Hamirpur, Una and Baddi, are rapidly emerging as major hubs of economic activity and human resource development and requested that suitable relaxations be made in the population criteria to enable Himachal to benefit comprehensively from the scheme. Highlighting operational challenges in hilly terrain, chief minister Sukhu urged the Union minister to reduce the daily assured mileage under the OPEX model to 150 kilometers per bus in the state to ensure realistic and achievable targets. He further requested revision of the current operational assistance of Rs.22 per kilometre to Rs.52 per kilometre for hill states, enabling state transport undertakings to operate electric buses without incurring operational losses. He also suggested that capital assistance should be linked to the actual mileage achieved in order to incentivise better performance and ensure equitable reimbursement. Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar assured the chief minister of all possible assistance to the state....