Suggestions to fight pollution made but not implemented

New Delhi: Amicus curiae Harish Salve has told the SC that a tax should be charged on diesel and petrol cars to deter people from buying more vehicles.
Delhi has already exhausted all soft options, warned Salve before arguing that the solution must be to restrain the growth of personal vehicle usage,particularly diesel vehicles,and this is only possible through a highly augmented transport system in Delhi and the region.
Salve in his application said,The market share of diesel cars is more than 50% of sales.This is because of the growing differential between petrol and diesel.The emission norms for diesel cars legally allow higher limits for NOx and particulate matters as compared to petrol cars.
While advocating imposition of 25% of cost of all new diesel cars as green tax,he suggested levy of an environmental compensation charge on the existing ones.
If Salves suggestions are to be implemented,then a person purchasing a diesel car costing Rs 6 lakh would pay a green tax of Rs 1.5 lakh.If the cost of an SUV is Rs 16 lakh,then the buyer would have to pay Rs 4 lakh extra.
How does it work out for existing petrol and diesel cars If a person owns a small petrol car which costs him Rs 3 lakh,then he pays Rs 6,000 every year as environmental compensation charge along with the insurance premium amount.One who owns a Rs 6 lakh diesel car would pay Rs 24,000 annually.
Salve said the Environment Pollution Control Authorityhad been suggesting measures through the years but little was achieved on the ground because of poor implementation of these suggestions.The city needs emergency level action to reduce the growing load of pollution in its air.
He said pollution levels were increasing at an alarming rate every year in Delhi making the air more toxic and unhealthy to breathe,an issue which TOI focused yet again this year through a series of reports highlighting increase in toxicity of air because of pollution.