SC says even trucks carrying essentials must pay pollution fee, MCD says move will ease Delhi traffic

The Supreme Court has ruled that trucks and commercial vehicles carrying essential goods such as vegetables, milk, grains, and eggs must pay the Environment Compensation Charge (ECC).

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said the move will help reduce traffic congestion at toll plazas and improve revenue collection.

According to a report in The Times of India, the September 26 ruling applies to vehicles transporting “vegetables, fruits, milk, grains, eggs, poultry items and salt, among other items.”

‘No more physical checks’

MCD officials said the earlier system of inspecting vehicles carrying essentials at toll plazas was slowing down traffic. “The SC order will eliminate the need to stop and check each vehicle, mitigate congestion, and also increase revenue,” an official told TOI.

Currently, ECC is ₹1,400 for loaded light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and ₹700 for empty ones. Trucks and large vehicles pay ₹2,600 when loaded and ₹1,300 when empty. These charges follow the apex court’s 2015 directive, with funds routed to the Delhi government’s escrow account for environment projects.

The official added that the earlier reimbursement mechanism caused difficulties. “There are times when drivers carrying essential goods have insufficient funds and need to recharge the account, as the system only allows for reimbursement. To resolve this, we had moved an intervention application in the SC to establish a flat ECC,” the official said.

Ghazipur Toll Plaza Bottleneck

Congestion is particularly severe at Ghazipur toll points after 10.15pm, where service lanes get blocked for over an hour. “It has become a daily affair. I often leave my office late from Noida to reach my home in east Delhi, and encounter jams,” Kailash Gupta, a resident of Vivek Vihar, told TOI.

The civic body has sought land from DDA to build a new five-lane toll plaza near Delhi-Meerut Expressway. “Once we receive the land, the toll plaza will be shifted within six months,” the official said.

Similar traffic snarls are also reported at Rajokri, where toll lanes are located away from the main carriageway, leading to bottlenecks.

(With inputs from TOI)