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SC for environment cess on commercial vehicles entering Delhi
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SME Times News Bureau | 10 Oct, 2015
The Supreme Court on Friday
indicated that it will impose an environment compensation charge (ECC)
ranging from Rs.700 to Rs.1,300 on commercial vehicles entering Delhi as
a transit route for their onward journey.
A bench of Chief
Justice H.L. Dattu, Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel,
while giving this indication, reserved the order to be pronounced on
Monday (October 12).
However, it was clarified that commercial
vehicles carrying essential commodities, food stuff and passengers and
emergency vehicles, including ambulances, would be exempted from the
environment cess.
The imposition of ECC would be for four months
on an experimental basis and the money collected would go to the Delhi
government.
The Delhi government told the court that it would
issue a notification in this regard after a formal order was passed by
the apex court. However, it urged the court to issue specific directions
in exercise of its power so that its actions are not questioned.
It also told the court that it would give wide publicity to the directions of the court.
In
the suggestions for directions from the central and Delhi governments
and amicus curiae Harish Salve, the court was urged to direct that the
charge will be imposed on all light and heavy-duty commercial vehicles
at entry point in Delhi.
The ECC will be imposed at the rate of
Rs. 700 for category 2 (light duty vehicles) and category 3 (2 axle
trucks) and Rs.1,300 for category 4 (3 axle trucks) and category 5 (4
axle trucks and above).
The vehicles exempted from paying ECC,
for now, includes ambulances, those carrying essential commodities,
including food stuffs, milk, vegetables and oil tankers.
The
suggested recommendations said that Delhi government would ensure that
levying of ECC was not abused by taking appropriate steps including
deploying supervisory staff.
The ECC that would be collected
would be handed over to Delhi government that will be used for
augmenting public transport and improving roads, particularly for most
vulnerable users like cyclists and pedestrians.
The suggestion
regarding Uttar Pradesh and Haryana says that two state governments have
to be directed to provide large size bill boards at the exit points
towards the alternative highways in their respective jurisdiction for
diversion of commercial vehicles.
At present the commercial
vehicles entering Delhi by MCD count are about 22,628 but a study by the
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), says that over 38,588
commercial heavy vehicles enter the city every day from authorised entry
points.
CSE director Sunita Narain who was present in Supreme
Court on Friday said that if one were take into account, vehicles
entering Delhi from all entry point, then the count would be more than
50,000.
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