go green-green tax on commercial vehicles

WE, THE inhabitants of earth, have reached that stage where we need to redesign and reconsider our lifestyles for further survival on this planet. If we want the generations to look forward to a healthy and green earth, then we really have to change ourselves at the earliest.

green tax on heavy vehicles

The govt. Of India has step forward with a new idea of reducing vehicle caused air pollution in major cities like DELHI. Commercial vehicles entering the state now have to  pay an environmental compensation charge in addition to the toll tax for the emission of pollutant matter. The second major cause of pollution is the Nitrogen Dioxide (NOx) load, which again is sourced from emissions of automobiles. The green panel had ordered that the compensation would be payable at the rates of Rs. 700 for two-axle vehicles, Rs. 1,000 for three-axle and Rs. 500 for four-axle and above.

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 route which will reduce pollution...

Ban on vehicles older than 15 years.

Such vehicles are the ones conforming to older emission standards and are the worst offenders in terms of exacerbating the region's air pollution situation.  Delhi, meanwhile, continues to suffer due to increasing number of vehicles - both old and new - and the air gets dirtier each passing day.   According the Air Pollution and Clean Transportation programme, Centre for Science and Environment, "In a bid to protect old cars, the science of exposure risk to deadly vehicular pollution has been played down in the IIT Delhi-Transport Research and Injury Prevention Programme (IITD-TRIPP) studies cited by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. There is enough evidence to prove significant contribution of vehicles to multi-pollutant crisis in Delhi and justifies the strong action demanded by NGT."

Delhi, meanwhile, continues to pile on vehicles and layers of toxic pollutants. Already crowned the world's most polluted city in terms of air quality, it adds 1,400 cars to its roads every day. In the last decade, the number of vehicles in Delhi has jumped by 97 per cent.

In 2000, diesel cars accounted for only four per cent of all car sales. Now half the cars sold survive on diesel. Public transport has not been able to keep pace. Despite a Supreme Court order saying Delhi should have 11,000 public transport buses, roughly 6,251 are in service.