Why Not Green Levy on New Diesel Cars in Delhi, Asks SC

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday issued notice to the central government on a plea seeking to impose environment compensation charge of 25 percent of the sale value on new private diesel cars in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Besides this, the plea by amicus curiae Harish Salve has sought the levying of environment compensation charge respectively of 2 percent and 4 percent of the purchase value of all the existing petrol and diesel cars.

The apex court's forest bench of Justice Aftab Alam, Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan and Justice Swatanter Kumar issued the notice and asked the government to respond within four weeks.

The plea sought direction that an "environment compensation charge of 25 percent of the sale value of new vehicle is levied on the sale of each private diesel car to be collected by the dealers at the time of the sale".

Besides this one-time environment compensation charge, the application sought "environment compensation charge amounting to 2 percent of the purchase value of a patrol car and 4 percent of the purchase value of diesel car be levied on all existing private cars in the NCR region to be collected annually by the insurance companies along with the premium amount".

Amicus curiae Salve said that the court should direct that insurance companies should ensure that the vehicles had a valid pollution under control certificate at the time of the renewal of insurance.