Congestion tax in pipeline for Delhi.

THE pain of traffic snarls may find a cure in ' congestion tax'. The Delhi government's transport department is toying with the idea, hoping that it will be a deterrent against increasing use of private vehicles in the Capital.

The congestion tax, like the Congestion Charge in London, would create tax zones where one would have to pay a hefty charge for driving private vehicle.

" We have been mulling over the introduction of the congestion tax because it can ease the problem on city's roads.

Right now we are just thinking about it. Implementation is difficult because a lot of things need to be considered, like installing the cameras that will scan number plates in taxed zones to check if the tax has been paid or not," said a senior official of the transport department.

Environment agencies too have been supporting implementation of this tax. According to the transport department, there are 88 lakh vehicles in the Capital at present. In 1999- 2000, the figure stood at 31.64 lakh.

The rapid increase in number of vehicles is indeed a matter of concern, say experts.

" It is time to consider the implementation of these measures and the transport department needs to work out a combi- nation of strategies. To begin with, a considerable hike in the parking charges, followed by a hefty congestion tax can together address the rising density of vehicles in the city," said Anumita Roychoudhury, executive director of Centre for Science and Environment.

Several major cities of the world -- London, Beijing and Singapore -- have adopted models to control the number of vehicles plying on the roads. The models include a system under which cars with odd licence number plates are allowed to ply on certain days of the week, while those with even licence number plates are allowed on the next day.

Similar proposal was mooted for the Capital. Last month, Delhi L- G Najeeb Jung had directed the Delhi government to consider implementation of the even- odd number plate system.

The Ministry of Road and Surface Transport had earlier formulated a draft on the similar line, when V. P. Singh was the prime minister, to ration petrol and diesel in the metropolitan cities to counter pollution.

SIMILAR MODELS ABROAD

THE LONDON MODEL The London congestion charge is a fee charged on most motor vehicles operating within the Congestion Charge Zone ( CCZ) in central London between 7 am and 6 pm from Monday to Friday.

The congestion charge is not charged on weekends and public holidays. The charge of 5 GBP, which was introduced on February 17, 2003, remains one of the largest congestion charge zones in the world and has reduced vehicular traffic by nearly 25 per cent.

THE BEIJING MODEL During the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing banned cars on the basis of odd and even numbers.

The ban drove airborne particulate matter concentrations during the Olympics down by 20 per cent. Even after the Olympic Games, the Beijing authorities kept a one- day a week ban in place.

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