The excise concession on the purchase of new, fuel-efficient vehicles may help reduce air pollution. But the focus must be on rolling back private cars and improving public transport, particularly cycle tracks
The NDA Government has planned to give an excise cut of eight per cent to 12 per cent on the purchase of new vehicle, in order to make all vehicles BS-IV compliant across the country by April 2017. The Government’s proposal to replace 28 million old vehicles beyond 2005 with new vehicles with BS-IV norms will definitely boost the automobile sector.
The owner of old vehicles will get scrap value for their vehicle as well as a discount on the purchase of new vehicles. If the new auto mobile policy is implemented, every year, 10-year-old vehicles will be off the road. It is said that the BS-IV norms will reduce vehicular emission by 25 per cent to 30 per cent, it will help save `7,000 crore in oil imports and generate steel scrap worth `11,500 crore annually.
If the policy is implemented strictly, it will increase the sale of automobiles by 28 million instantly and increase the automobile sale by a minimum 10 per cent every year.
However, for this to happen the Union Government has to dole out an excise cut of minimum `1.34 lakh crore to replace 28 million old vehicles and not less than `36 lakh crore excise cut every year if it continues with the excise sop on replacement of 10 per cent old vehicles per annum.
When solar cars, hydro-cars and battery-run cars will replace petrol vehicles in the near future, giving excise concessions to new petrol cars make little sense. However, BS-IV compliant petrol vehicles will not be totally pollution-free. The automobile policy which aims to save `7,000 crore on oil import may not save fossil fuel as the sale of cars will increase many folds.
The NDA Government’s National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020 which aims to make India 100 per cent electric vehicle nation by 2030 looks good. The success of the mission may reduce vehicle pollution, but the mission should also aim to reduce private vehicles and improve public transport. Today roads in a majority of the urban centers are overflowing with automobiles. Heart and lungs related diseases are fast increasing in metro cities due to air pollution.
If the Government is serious about pollution, it should lay cycle tracks in all big and small cities. It will also improve people’s health and earn revenue from the sale of cycles. Cycle track will help millions of commuters in the unorganised sector to save on fuel. The immense health benefit from cycle track cannot be quantified in monetary terms.
Besides cycle track, the Government must re-construct pedestrian paths and improve public transportation system to save fuel consumption.
Developed nations aggressively build cycle tracks to improve people’s health, reduce pollution and cut fossil fuel import. There are 11 long-distant cycle tracks covering 10,000 km in Denmark which are being used by millions of people. Danish people have made it a habit to save fuel and protect the environment. Beautiful cycle tracks connecting tourists places also boosts the tourism sector.
Germany has been building cycle tracks since 2002 and has connected all parts of Germany with 200 such long-route marked cycle tracks. Public awareness is so high in Japan that a nation of 127 million people has 72 million bicycles with over 10 million new bicycles being sold every year.
The EuroVelo cycle network, a project of the European Cyclists’ Federation covering more than 70,000 km is expected to be completed in 2020. The EuroVelo will criss-cross through entire Europe.
All developed nations are in a mission mode to construct cycle track as they want to save fuel cost and check air pollution. They connect the cycle rout in such a manner that it has grown into cycle tourists destinations. Dependence on cycles reduces fuel import, improves air
quality, reduces current account deficit, improves people’s
health and creates jobs in the tourism sector.
India has tremendous potential for cycle tourism as there are many exotic tourist destinations across the country which are not well connected. The 30km marine drive from Puri to Konark which connects little known tourist places and a sanctuary can have a cycle track.
There are several attractive places in a radius of 75 km from Pune, Bangalore and Bhubaneswar which can be connected with cycle tracks. But popularising cycling needs strong political will.
There is no need of expensive metro rails whose economic viability is always questionable. In many of the Indian cities, expensive metro rails are introduced much to the disappointment of the commuters.
In New Delhi and Bangalore, metro rails are underutilised. Besides the ticket cost in metro rail is bound to increase in order to meet the breakeven level. Over the years, metro connectivity has devoured thousands of hectares of fertile agriculture land across the country for housing purpose. The new automobile policy of the NDA Government should have more green in it.