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Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | New Delhi
By Our Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI, JULY 22. The Centre for Science and Environment has welcomed the Delhi Government's proposal to impose environment cess on diesel passenger cars and multi-utility vehicles and increase the sales tax on diesel in the budget proposals presented today. Recently, in an open letter to the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, CSE had drawn attention to the "alarming levels of dieselisation of the personal car fleet in Delhi that threatens to enhance toxification of the city's air''. According to CSE, the data available with the State Transport Authority on vehicle registration shows that the share of diesel cars in the total car registration has increased from 4 per cent in 1998-99 to 16 per cent in 2002-03. At the same time, petrol car registration has stagnated for the same period. Annual incremental growth rate for diesel cars is as high as 106.3 per cent, as opposed to 12.27 per cent for petrol cars. "It does seem unfair that while in the interest of public health, mass transport buses have been converted from diesel to CNG, the rich car owners are technically subsidised with a distorted tax and pricing policy that encourages them to choose this toxic fuel,'' said a press release. "The message that has been given is that the polluting fuel would be taxed. So we are very happy with this decision. At the same time, what is even more encouraging is that the Government has decided not to tax CNG despite there being plenty of pressure on the Government to do so. This is what we have been saying for so long, if it is a cleaner fuel, do not tax it, but if it is a polluting fuel, it must be taxed. The budget must send the right message to the people and this one clearly indicates that the issue of air pollution is important to the Government,'' said director, CSE, Sunita Narain.
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