Delhi govt planning to impose congestion tax to reduce traffic during peak hours

In an attempt to reduce road traffic during peak hours, the Delhi government is planning to introduce a congestion tax, said a report by ETAuto.
The Delhi government authorities are working on a “congestion pricing” strategy where drivers will be charged for using the specified roads during peak traffic hours, said the report citing Shahzad Alam, special commissioner of transport.
“New fund allocation is happening for managing the transport…What we are working on is called congestion pricing,” Alam told ETAuto.

For the pilot phase, 13 locations on Delhi’s borders have been identified.
In 2018, a similar proposal was discussed to deal with the traffic congestion. The then Lt. Governor Anil Baijal had proposed charging vehicles entering congested road stretches during peak hours.
Baijal had mentioned that the Delhi government was consulting experts and would seek public feedback before implementing the policy.
At that time, 21 high-traffic stretches, including ITO intersection and Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, were identified as potential areas for the congestion tax.
In 2017, a parliamentary panel had also recommended levying a toll on congested roads in the national capital.

Cities such as Singapore, London, and Stockholm charge similar taxes to manage traffic and reduce congestion.
Recently, a report by Karnataka’s planning department and an industry group, titled Karnataka’s Decade – Roadmap to $1 Trillion Economy, had also suggested authorities in Bengaluru to impose a congestion tax to ease traffic during rush hours on high-density roads.
The revenue could be used to improve public transport, reduce pollution, and enhance the quality of life, the report had said.
On Friday, the Delhi Transport Department had launched a fresh round of crackdown on overage vehicles to combat air pollution in the national capital.
The department has asked traffic police to deploy four teams in every municipal zone in coordination with its enforcement wing to impound diesel and petrol-run vehicles that are older than 10 and 15 years, respectively.
According to the latest figure, more than 55 lakh overage vehicles have been de-registered so far in the national capital.