Rapid urbanisation, overcrowded roads, bad air quality, high traffic congestion, and long commuting time are some brawling issues that have now become a pressing concern.
To address the overcrowded roads and curb the traffic at the busiest time of the day, the government of Delhi is aiming to design a Congestion Tax policy in the city, said a senior government official.
“New fund allocation is happening for managing the transport…What we are working on is called congestion pricing,” Shahzad Alam, Special Commissioner Transport, Government of NCT of Delhi told ETAuto.
Roadmap for the congestion pricing strategy
The Delhi government is at an advanced stage of planning to levy the congestion tax in peak-demand areas. At the pilot stage, the government has identified 13 points on the border/exterior of Delhi where congestion pricing will be levied.
Congestion pricing refers to a strategy in which the government of the state charges the drivers to use the identified road or route during peak traffic hours.
The Delhi government here is focusing on encouraging usage of public transport or alternative routes to move towards less congested time, according to Alam. However, he stated the objective is not to charge prices, but to make the city less polluting and to curb the traffic.
Legal framework for congestion pricing
Around the world countries such as the UK, USA, and Singapore have successfully implemented congestion pricing to cut down congested roads. To implement it successfully in Delhi, the government requires detailed legal backing for charging the people. The government is exploring the possible solutions for the same and the changes necessary for the Delhi Motor Vehicle rule or Central Motor Vehicle rule.
Effortless way to pay congestion tax
To fulfill the initiative of swifter movement on Delhi roads, the government is framing a unique method of charging vehicles. The government will be charging the congestion tax through FASTag, however, Alam stated, it will be done barrier-free.
“It will take an entry full of RFID readers and NPR (number plate recognition) cameras. It will just have that infrastructure but it will not have a barrier. That is a certain principle we have means the decision we have taken,” he said.
Multiple initiatives to curb congestion
The government is frosting multiple policies/rules to curb congestion and poor air quality. The Delhi government has instructed private buses to initiate/end their journey from the ISBT terminal to curb mid-road congestion.
The government is encouraging the inter-state buses that will travel to Delhi from different states such as Uttrakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh to be either electric/ BS6 diesel or CNG. “We are exploring right now how we can move a very smooth shift from this BS4 to BS6 for all these commercial vehicles,” added Alam.
The government has also seized over 8 lakh electric rickshaws in last two months to curb the congestion.
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