Commercial vehicle owners cry foul over green tax

Owners of goods vehicles mandated to pay environment charge for entering Delhi from November have alleged they were being “discriminated against ” and called the tax a licence to “pay and pollute”.  In a letter to the Chairman of Environment Pollution Control Authority, Bhure Lal, the All India Confederation of Goods Vehicle Owners’ Associations said “It is unfortunate that though the share of commercial goods vehicles in overall extent of polluting is not so high, yet the extent of condemnation of these are being bestowed with, particularly by the environmentalists, is subject to questioning.”

Chittranjan Dass, the confederation’s secretary general, said, “Despite best regards for the apex court, its latest order on allowing other state vehicles entry in Delhi, to say the least, is bewildering, particularly when it is claimed to be an anti-pollution measure.”

The confederation has questioned branding vehicles holding a valid certificate of fitness and certificate of pollution under control as polluting and the imposition of environment compensation charge on these vehicles.   

The Supreme Court had on October 12 ordered that commercial vehicles entering Delhi pay an environment charge, apart from the municipal toll. The court categorised such vehicles and fixed charges: Rs 700 for Category-2 (light duty vehicles) and Category-3 (2-axle trucks); Rs 1,300 for Category-4 (3-axle trucks) and Category-5 (4-axle trucks and above). Passenger vehicles, ambulances, vehicles carrying essential commodities such as food and oil tankers were exempted.

The poor air quality in Delhi has raised concerns at various levels. In April this year, the National Greet Tribunal had ordered banning diesel vehicles more than 10 years old from plying in Delhi and the national capital region. However, the order has not been implemented yet.