Make private travel costly to control pollution: Experts

Hyderabad: To check on vehicular emission and upgrade public transport system, the T.S.R. Subramanian Committee, formed by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to review key environmental laws, has recommended a “revised system of taxation” to inhibit an increase in the number of vehicles and “entry fee” for certain parts of cities.

“Mostly in cities, where pollution has crossed the standard limits, this law would be very helpful. A similar law exists in Singapore, where buying a vehicle is way costlier, given the high road tax and other taxes,” said a senior scientist with Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB).

The report also suggests constitution of an Environment Reconstruction Fund as a public fund, which will be managed by NEMA and used for developing environmental infrastructure.

ERF will receive funds from a variety of sources, including from water cess, air pollution cess, proposed vehicle pollution surcharge, proposed surcharge on units discharging effluents, environmental reconstruction cost from project proponents, fees for various services rendered by agencies including process fees etc., as well as other levies including penalties and punitive fines on polluters and offenders.