Uttarakhand looks to impose green cess on private vehicles entering state

Officials of the Uttarakhand transport department have been asked to prepare a proposal to levy the green cess on vehicles entering from outside the state. “The proposal will then be submitted to the cabinet,” Ramdas said.

Private vehicles entering Uttarakhand may soon have to pay a green cess, the state’s transport minister Chandan Ramdas said on Tuesday. The money collected will be used to improve road safety, he said.

Private vehicles entering Uttarakhand may soon have to pay a green cess, the state’s transport minister said. (HT File)

Officials of the transport department have been asked to prepare a proposal to levy the cess on vehicles entering from outside the state. “The proposal will then be submitted to the cabinet,” Ramdas said.

The amount of the levy is yet to be decided, he added. Uttarakhand collects entry tax from commercial vehicles coming from outside, but the green cess will be charged from both commercial and private vehicles, he said.

The additional levy will increase revenue collection of the transport department. “The money collected from imposition of green tax will be used in improving the road safety in the state,” Ramdas said.”The state witnesses a large number of road accidents. We want to use the money realised from green cess in improving road safety.”

There are over 2.8 million vehicles registered in Uttarakhand. Lakhs of vehicles enter the state every year as Uttarakhand sees a heavy influx of both pilgrims and tourists. For instance, this year so far over 3.5 million pilgrims have visited the Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib shrines.