Delhi govt to impose cess on liquor, cigarettes to fight pollution
The high powered committee is also working on the parking policy, which includes imposing differential parking rates, discouraging people from parking on congested roads and incentivising multi-level parking.
The Delhi government has decided to impose cess on cigarettes and liquor in an attempt to create urban transport fund which will be used to tackle rising pollution levels in the National Capital. "One rupee cess shall be imposed on every packet of cigarettes and every bottle of liquor for the purpose," said a senior Delhi government official.
The government will introduce eight coaches in 129 Metro trains by March 2017. So far, only 58 Metro trains run with eight coaches. The decisions were taken at the meeting of a high-powered committee, which is constituted to examine measures to check air and water pollution in Delhi, under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Friday.
"Further, the pollution under control (PUC) norms for all vehicles plying in Delhi will be tightened. The Delhi traffic police will make it mandatory for all vehicles to display a valid PUC sticker. The proposal of making valid PUC certificate mandatory for procuring petrol or diesel is being examined," the official said.
From January 1 to September 5, as many as 24,025 violators have been fined for not carrying a valid PUC certificate. The Delhi government has also decided to regulate the entry of non-destined vehicles in the city.
"The Public Works Department (PWD) and Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) will make provision of U-turns or underpasses at specific border locations so that the entry of non-destined vehicles in Delhi may be prohibited. These provisions shall be put in place within the next two months," said the official.
To check the menace of overloading, the transport department has been asked to prepare a plan to install weigh-in-motion systems at all entry points in Delhi, the plan for which is likely to be submitted to the lieutenant governor within the next couple of months.
The Delhi traffic police has been asked to take strict action against unauthorised and obstructive parking and to carry out an exercise to enforce "noparking/no-stopping/no-tolerance zones" in the city.
The high powered committee is also working on the parking policy, which includes imposing differential parking rates, discouraging people from parking on congested roads and incentivising multi-level parking. The concept of 'premium parking' for congested areas in Delhi is also being discussed. L-G Najeeb Jung has also directed the transport department to introduce non-polluting battery-operated vehicles.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has selected three Metro stations to provide the charging infrastructure support for the pilot fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles. In addition, the DMRC has operationalised 34 CNG Mini buses.
The high powered committee was constituted on May 13 this year by the lieutenant governor. The committee had suggested short-term and long-term measures to help check pollution levels in Delhi.