Every year , some 12 lakh
persons die in India due to air pollution - all premature deaths
14 out of the World's Most
polluted 15 cities, are in India .
All of these have literally
become " Gas Chambers "
In Delhi , 50 % of
school-going children have acute respiratory problems
In its just released Election
Manifesto , Congress
says :
" CLIMATE > Treat air pollution as a national public health emergency.
Focus on climate resilience
and disaster management , make India a green manufacturing hub "
Translated : Motherhood is Good
Can we expect something very
specific / sharply focused and measurable in BJP's Manifesto - such as :
“ If voted to power, we
promise to implement within one year : Transport : an
Integrated Logistic Plan ? “
May be, if Shri Gadkariji
gets time to read this !
Pigovian Tax for
Polluters ?
A
few weeks back I suggested :
#
All 230 million vehicles operating in India , pay TRANS-Tax
#
More polluting vehicles pay more tax
#
Less polluting vehicles pay less tax
#
Diving conditions / locations / time etc to decide the exact ( but varying )
amount of tax payable
#
Tax to be paid for every hour of a vehicle’s life ( even when parked ) - and to
be paid hourly
#
Tax to be automatically deducted from pre-paid sensor ( e-Wallet )
pre-installed in each vehicle
[ Concept details at : Transport
: an Integrated Logistic Plan ? - 20 Nov
2018 ]
It seems , London Mayor Sadiq Khan is about
to introduce a truncated version of my proposal , starting 08 April 2019 ,
under which :
“ Most vehicles that do not meet the European emissions standards
are subject to a £12.50 ($16.30) charge for every day they
drive within the ULEZ, in addition to the £11.50 congestion charge that
operates on weekdays.
If a driver fails to pay within two weeks, they will face a penalty of £160. This will be halved if paid within two weeks.
Lorries will face a much higher daily charge of £100, with a penalty fare of £1,000.
The goal is to discourage people from driving heavily polluting vehicles in the city, in a bid to bring down levels of air pollution and associated health problems.
London's poor air quality shortens the lives of thousands of people every year. The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has called it a public health emergency.
Now
London had already introduced a “ Congestion Tax “ ( for vehicles entering
specified area in Central London ), some 15 years ago .
Proposed
Ultra Low Emission Zone ( ULEZ ) will be in addition to that
From
the following report, it seems that the Congestion Tax has been very successful
It
managed to :
#
Reduce traffic by 15 %
#
Congestion by 30 %
#
Traffic volumes in the charging zone
are now nearly a quarter lower than a decade ago,
allowing central
London road space to be given over to cyclists and pedestrians.
# Between 2002 and 2014, the number of private cars coming into the zone fell by 39
per cent.
# Trips by taxi and private for hire
vehicle as the main mode of the journey increased by 9.8 per cent between
Now
considering that, in Mumbai we have approx. 3.3 million ( - and far older and
therefore, more polluting ) vehicles as against 2.7 million vehicles in
London , I would think , we have a greater need to implement a superior system
of taxing vehicles than in London
Unfortunately,
such a solution is unlikely to appear any time soon, given the constant
fighting between the Municipal Corporation and the State Government
I
do not expect Election Manifestos of either BJP or of Congress to read :
“
If voted to power, we promise to implement within one year : Transport : an Integrated Logistic Plan ? “
===============================================================
04 April 2019
Rsvp : hcp@RecruitGuru.com
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