Apex Court gives a nod to imposition of tax on polluting trucks entering Delhi

New Delhi, October 10: The Supreme Court, on Friday, approved the imposition of a green tax ranging from Rs 700(for Light duty commercial vehicles) to Rs 1300(for big trucks) on commercial vehicles entering the national capital, referring to it as the “need of the day.”
The three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice H. L. Dattu said that it would pronounce the order on Monday and review the pollution situation in four months.
The tax will be collected by the existing toll booths at the 127 entry points to Delhi from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Acting as amicus curiae(friend of the court), senior advocate Harish Salve had filed the application, seeking imposition of extra cess on trucks emitting toxic fumes.
He had cited a study by the Centre for Science and Environment, stating that more than 52,000 commercial trucks, running on low-grade diesel, entered the national capital every night, causing toxic haze, especially in the winter. The Bench, also comprising Justices Arun Mishra and Adarsh K Goel, said the court would pass a detailed order on Monday after taking into consideration, the suggestions by senior advocate Harish Salve, amicus curiae in a PIL and Counsel for the Centre and Delhi government.
The Court also declared that the order would be implemented in cooperation with adjoining states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The money collected through the levy will be used by the Delhi government to augment transport in the city. The government will furnish accounts of receipts to the Supreme Court on a weekly basis.
Buses ferrying passengers, vehicles carrying essential goods like food items and emergency vehicles like ambulances will be exempt from the levy.
The Apex Court’s order on Monday would supercede all past orders on the issue, including a recent one by the National Green Tribunal, levying an additional tax on polluting trucks entering Delhi.
This will be the second most significant anti-pollution intervention on the part of the Apex Court to help improve the ambient air quality of Delhi since 1998, when it had called for the entire city transport fleet — buses, taxis, auto-rickshaws and trucks, to switch to eco-friendly CNG fuel.