NEW DELHI: Now every time you buy a packet of cigarette or a bottle of whiskey in Delhi, get ready to pay Re 1 more as cess. The sum collected will be used to improve public transport in the city.
A high-powered committee, set up by Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung to tackle air pollution, suggests to collect a cess of Re 1 besides making PUC mandatory for all vehicles.
As per a notification, the traffic police in Delhi have challanned more than 24000 people for not carrying a valid PUC certificate between January 01 and September 05. Besides, the traffic cops will not tolerate unauthorized parking any more and enforce a ‘no tolerance’ zone. The panel has also suggested to explore different parking rates in congested areas.
The PWD and Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) shall make provisions for U-turns or underpasses at specific border locations so that entry of non-destined vehicles to Delhi may be prohibited. These provisions will be put in place within the next two months.
The transport department will prepare a plan to install weigh-in-motion systems at all entry points to Delhi within two months to address the problem of overloading on roads.
It has also decided to introduce battery-operated vehicles for last-mile connectivity to Metro and public transport.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has selected three Metro stations to provide battery-charging infrastructure for a pilot fleet of such electric vehicles.
DMRC has also started 34 CNG mini buses to support a feeder service. The transport department is to launch a public awareness campaign to address air pollution and encourage use of public transport soon.