National Green Tribunal lifts Environment Cess on vehicles plying between Manali and Rohtang Pass

Posted on 30 May 2015

National Green Tribunal (NGT) has lifted the Environment Cess imposed on vehicles shuttling between Manali and Rohtang Pass. The Environment Cess of Rs 1000 per day was imposed by NGT as a step to control vehicular pollution in the ecologically threatened area. The number of vehicles which can go to the Rohtang Pass had been limited to 1000 per day and an Environment cess of Rs 2500 and Rs 1000 have been imposed on diesel and petrol vehicles respectively for each trip on the 52 kms trip from Manali to Rohtang Pass earlier this month.

The NGT removed the Environment cess considering the plea of the Tourism industry of Himachal Pradesh. The state and the union pleaded that the cess/tax and ceiling/limit in the number of taxies entering Rohtang Pass per day had immobilized tourism, the main source of Himachal revenue, besides affecting the tourists and the livelihood of taxi operators and drivers.

Out of the 1000 vehicles which can enter Rohtang Pass 600 would be petrol vehicles and 400 diesel vehicles subjected to pollution check.

The state and the union had pointed out in their plea that taxis plying to the Rohtang Pass were not the real cause for the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas rather, it was the fumes emitted all over the country and global warming that were responsible for the diminishing glaciers.