Government proposes to impose fee on goods vehicles entering Delhi

NEW DELHI: With goods vehicles running on diesel being identified as major contributor to air pollution, Delhi government today proposed to impose a fee on such commercial vehicles entering the city and use the amount to augment environment-friendly public transport system.

"The alarming level of air pollution is a cause of concern for all of us. All of us are aware that large number of heavy goods diesel vehicles, enter Delhi and cause of air pollution.

"As an interim measure, I propose to levy a fee on entry of vehicles in Delhi. Per entry charges for tempo (light commercial vehicle) will be Rs 100, four-wheel trucks Rs 500, six-wheel trucks Rs 750, ten-wheel trucks Rs 1000 and fourteen-wheel trucks Rs 1500," Delhi Finance Minister Manish Sisodia said while tabling the Delhi budget for financial year 2015-16 in the Assembly today.

Emphasising that vehicular pollution was major contributor to Delhi's poor air quality, he said, this Government stands committed to ensure clean air not only for present generation but also for future generations.

"We will substantially augment availability of public transport running on clean fuel," he said.

Sisoda further said the government intends to use the fund to augment environment-friendly public transport system, installation of weigh-in-motion bridges, and other initiatives to improve ambient air quality in Delhi.

Sisodia also proposed to make Pollution Under Control (PUC) monitoring centers to function on real time basis from July, 2015, which would avoid manual interference particularly with regards to tampering of data and willful mis-reporting.

Transport Department will conduct special drive to ensure proper implementation of PUC norms.