Indian Airlines Not Submitting Emission Details To EU:Ajit Singh

New Delhi: India's airlines are not submitting emission details to the European Union (EU) as it had directed, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh told parliament Thursday. "Though the European Union has directed Indian carriers to submit emission details of their aircraft by March 31, 2012, no Indian carrier is submitting them in view of the position of the government," the minister said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. "Hence the imposition of carbon tax does not arise," he added. The minister had been asked if the EU had directed the airlines of India to submit carbon emission details of their aircrafts and thereafter imposed carbon tax on these aircrafts. Asked if the government proposed to adopt a similar policy on the European aircrafts operating in India, Ajit Singh said: "Pursuant to the adoption of the Moscow Declaration of Feb 22, 2012 by over 30 countries on the European Union Emission Trading Scheme, a basket of measures are available to the government as counter measures." "Depending upon EU's consideration of the resolution of the Moscow Declaration, appropriate retaliatory measures would be undertaken by all signatories to the declaration and also other nations wishing to join." In a separate response, the minister also said that the government expects air passenger traffic to witness a rise from over 143 million passengers in 2010-11 to over 293.48 million in 2017-18. "It is estimated that the passenger traffic will increase from 143.43 million in 2010-11 to 293.48 million in 2017-18," Ajit Singh said