The apex court, which heard a plea filed by top lawyer Harish Salve, also issued an order levying an additional surcharge on commercial vehicles entering Delhi to deter them from entering the city and causing acute air pollution.
Advertisement
The bench told Salve that it was yet to read the NGT order.
The study said a large numbers of trucks, which pass through Delhi to avoid higher toll charges on other routes, were running on outdated technology, “spewing smoke and make Delhi polluted”.
When senior advocate Harish Salve, who is the amicus curiae in a 1985 PIL filed by environmentalist M C Mehta, insisted that the apex court itself proceed with the hearing on his application, the bench said, “We are not saying no. Let us have a look at the NGT order”.
Delhi Transport and Rural Development Minister Gopal Rai told Reuters that his government will also introduce a 1,300 rupee ($20) tax on diesel-guzzling trucks entering New Delhi by the end of the year. However, if 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 infants said that while considerable debate and long-term measures are being discussed by “slow moving state machinery for implementation of measures to control pollution levels in Delhi”, the highest court of the land was “duty bound” to take interim steps in effectuating the people’s right to clean, healthy and breathable air under Article 21 of the constitution.
“Our order will override all other existing orders and will be effective for four months on a trial basis”.
The EPCA had been repeatedly bringing the matter to the attention of the court and also looking for alternative strategies to control truck traffic which gave birth to the idea of pollution compensation tax.
“This is a major victory for the fight against deadly air pollution in the city”. Ms. Narain also congratulated the Central and Delhi governments for agreeing with and supporting this decision. These latest developments link to a previous court case that called on the government to implement taxes on commercial vehicles entering the city.
Advertisement
The Supreme Court on Frday agreed to impose an environment cess on trucks passing through the capital to reach other parts of the country faster, bolstering efforts to curb rising levels ofair pollution in the city. “Solutions should be focused on reducing pollution rather than diverting them elsewhere”, Greenpeace India official, Nandikesh Sivalingam, said.
