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Informist, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025

 

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court has done away with its 2015 exemption granted to commercial vehicles carrying essential commodities into Delhi from paying environmental compensation charges. In essence, these vehicles carrying commodities such as vegetables, fruits, milk, grains, eggs, ice, poultry items and salt will now have to pay environmental compensation charges to authorities while entering Delhi. This was done to ensure that these vehicles do not stop for long periods at check posts for verification of their essential commodities.

 

The apex court was hearing an application on behalf of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The petitioner said that on account of the exemption granted by the apex court in 2015 to tackle persistent pollution, serious difficulties were being faced inasmuch as vehicles were required to be stopped at check-posts for the purpose of verification as to whether they were carrying essential commodities or not. Owing to such requirements, vehicles were stopped for long periods, leading to continuous emission of smoke and contributing to air pollution, the petitioner said. 

 

The bench led by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai said that the difficulty pointed out by the petitioner appeared to be genuine. It is indeed difficult to find out a mechanism to verify from the outside as to what goods are being carried in such vehicles, said the apex court. As such, all vehicles have to be stopped at check-posts and are subjected to physical verification, which results in prolonged stoppages and aggravates the problem of air pollution, the court said. "In any case, the levy imposed is not of such a high nature as would adversely affect the prices to be paid by the common consumers," the court said.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

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