SC imposes green charge on commercial vehicles entering Delhi

Declaring that controlling Delhi’s pollution had become the “requirement of the day”, the Supreme Court agreed to formalise in a judicial order a series of directions to impose “environment compensation charge” on all light and heavy duty commercial vehicles entering the National Capital.

A three-judge bench led by the Chief Justice of India, in a special sitting on Friday, said the formal order imposing the pollution charge would be passed on Monday.

It directed the Delhi government to issue a separate notification in this regard based on the Supreme Court.

The pollution charge would be collected from all 127 entry points into Delhi. The court said the “deterrent” mechanism was an experiment for two months and was subject to any modification after four months.

The court directed the neighbouring State governments of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to fall in line and the respective Chief Secretaries to co-ordinate with the Delhi government.

The series of directions to regulate the entry of trucks into Delhi to combat air pollution was drafted by the Supreme Court’s amicus curiae in the case, senior advocate Harish Salve, in consultation with Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar for the Centre and senior advocate Dushyant Dave, representing the Delhi government.

The Supreme Court’s order on Monday would supersede all past order on the issue, including a recent one by the National Green Tribunal, imposing additional tax on polluting trucks entering Delhi.

As per the note, which will become part of the apex court’s judicial order on Monday, environment compensation charge would be imposed at the rate of Rs.700 for light duty vehicles and two-axle trucks. Three and four axle trucks would be charged Rs.1,300.

Passenger buses, emergency vehicles and vehicles carrying essential commodities would be exempted from the payment. The payment would be collected by the toll operator.

“A direction is needed that charges so collected shall be handed over to the Delhi government by the toll operator without any deduction on a weekly basis,” the directions said.

Sources: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/sc-imposes-green-charge-on-commercial-vehicles-entering-delhi/article7744746.ece