Green tax collection at entry points starts today

The green tax collection will finally start from the intervening night of Friday and Saturday across all entry points of Delhi after the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC)-appointed contractor SMYR Consortium LLP finally complied with the Supreme Court’s order to collect taxes from commercial vehicles entering the Capital. 

As per the orders, the contractor will collect toll tax of Rs 700 from small and medium trucks and Rs 1,300 from large trucks.

Since Sunday, thousands of trucks entered the city through 127 entry points without having to pay the environment tax — aimed at improving the fast deteriorating air quality — imposed by the Supreme Court. 

Around 50,000 commercial vehicles, mostly trucks, enter Delhi every day. 

The SDMC said it has engaged a contractor to collect the Environment Compensation Charge (ECC). However, the private entity could not do so due to lack of infrastructure.

The concessionaire, however, also said that the number of vehicles entering the Delhi border has reduced since November 1, the official date to begin toll tax collection. 

“As per the contract, the Consortium pays us Rs 551 crore per year. In the letter written, the contractor said that the toll tax collection from November 1 has gone down as the vehicular entry into the Capital reduced. They also mentioned that they will not be able to pay Rs 551 crore from now on as the toll tax collection has reduced,” said Radhe Shyam Sharma, Standing Committee Chairman, SDMC.