The chorus for imposition of entry tax on vehicles coming to Delhi seems to be getting louder with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday directing all commercial vehicles entering Delhi to pay environmental compensation charge in addition to the toll tax. The green panel ordered that the compensation would be `500 for two-axle vehicles, `700 for three-axle and `1,000 for four-axle vehicles and above.
The NGT also made it clear that all vehicles destined for places other than Delhi shall be diverted at Panipat to take an alternate route via NH-71A and NH-71 and exit at Bawal in Haryana.
Acting tough in order to curb pollution in the national Capital, a Bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar said, “It is a conceded position before us that vehicular pollution is one of the main sources of inferior quality of air in Delhi... Nearly 66,000 heavy commercial vehicles enter Delhi daily. It is stated before us that low toll tax is an incentive for heavy vehicles to pass through Delhi rather than taking alternate routes which will reduce pollution.”
“It will be in our considered view, appropriate to direct the check-posts to charge heavy commercial vehicles entering Delhi as their final destination or en route to other places entering from Sonipat to pay environmental compensation in addition to toll tax payable,” he added.
The Bench also directed that the additional amount collected in form of environment compensation at the check-posts would be paid to Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) which will maintain a separate account to be used for improving the ambient air quality of the Capital.
It also directed Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and DPCC to purchase or arrange instruments for checking emission of moving overloaded heavy vehicles.
The Bench noted that the charge payable by heavy vehicles as toll tax in Delhi was `600 while in Haryana, it varied from `930 to `1,550 depending on the kind of trucks entering the State.
Directing that vehicles destined for places other than Delhi should take alternate route bypassing Delhi, the Bench said, “The trucks which are not destined to Delhi and have not taken alternate route would not be permitted to enter the Capital and would be returned to Panipat to take the alternate route.”
Reacting to the argument that higher charges on vehicles would not have any impact on reducing air pollution, the Bench clarified that all its earlier orders, including ban on 10-year-old vehicles, would continue to be in force “without any change”.
The Bench also directed all concerned authorities to carry out its orders in true letter and spirit.
The NGT also asked the Joint Commissioners of Delhi and Haryana Police (Traffic) to deliberate on alternate route from Gurgaon and Ghaziabad.
The Green Bench directed the Haryana Government and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to expedite the work on Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways to ease traffic congestion in the Capital.
Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, appearing for NHAI, told the Tribunal that work has been awarded on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway and work on the project would start shortly.
The Bench is deliberating on mechanism to devise an alternative route for commercial vehicles passing through the city to decongest the roads and reduce vehicular emissions.
On August 31, a meeting was held in the Delhi Police headquarters here where an alternate route via NH-71A and NH- 71 (Panipat-Rohtak-Jhajjar-Bawal) was proposed.
Delhi Police had said that this new route suggested by NHAI was four-lane and hence adequate to cater to the traffic of more than 50,000 PCUs (passenger car units).
“The distance of the diverted route i.e through Panipat- Rohtak-Jhajjar-Bawal diversion is 166 km whereas the distance for route through New Delhi is 174 km,” it had said.
Two days ago, the Supreme Court, in a case related to air pollution, had asked the Centre and the Delhi Government to respond to a plea seeking levy of “pollution compensatory charges”, along with toll tax, on commercial vehicles plying in the national Capital.