New government resolution says two-wheelers that are over 15-yr-old will have to pay up to Rs 3,000 environment tax or be taken off roads
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New government resolution says two-wheelers that are over 15-yr-old will have to pay up to Rs 3,000 environment tax or be taken off roadsu00a0
The city that is known for its ubiquitous two-wheelers has decided to get tough on them. According to a new government resolution (GR) released on October 15, two-wheelers that are more than 15-year-old will have to pay an environment tax of Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000, failing which they will not be allowed on the roads.
Earlier, there was no environment tax for two-wheelers.
The Scooter, Motorcycle Repairs Research Association (SMRRA) has objected to the GR. "The tax is equivalent to the resale value of old two-wheelers. The decision has been declared in the GR without inviting suggestions and considering objections from vehicle users," said Avinash M Date, president of SMRRA.
"If the old vehicles are running on the Bharat Stage II norms (see box), then why should they charge environment tax," he asked. "The two-wheeler users are already paying PUC charges every six months."
Many of these vehicles are non-polluting and are under the limits of PUC prescribed norms.
Anant Athawale, a two-wheeler rider said that many old vehicles met the Bharat Stage II and III norms. The problem was the quality of petrol.
Concurring with Athawale, Sudhir Kulkarni, president of Nagri Hakka Samiti, said old vehicles alone should not be blamed, as there was no system to check the quality of petrol. To reduce pollution rate in the city, Kulkarni said encroachments on city roads should be removed and roads should be wider and pothole-free.
"There is also a need for proper synchronisation of traffic lights which are faulty and cause more pollution as vehicles end up spending more time at the signals," he said.
On the other hand, Chandrakant Kharatmal, Regional Transport Officer, said that the idea behind enforcing the new GR is to reduce air pollution as vehicles more than 15-year-old was polluting.
"Many citizens, in order to avoid paying environment tax, do not register their old vehicles," he said.u00a0u00a0
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