New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Thursday approved a sharp increase in the Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) imposed on commercial vehicles entering Delhi, a move aimed at discouraging transit traffic and reducing pollution in the city. The decision follows recommendations made by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). Under the revised rates, the ECC for light motor vehicles will increase from ₹1,400 to ₹2,000, while trucks will now have to pay Rs 4,000 instead of Rs 2,600. The new charges will come into effect from April 1.
The matter was heard by a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the court that CAQM believes the revised charges will restore the deterrent effect originally intended when the fee was first introduced in 2015. According to the proposal, the ECC will also see an annual increase of five per cent from April 1 each year. However, the court clarified that the first such revision will take place from April 1, 2027.
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The bench also directed authorities to ensure that heavy commercial vehicles do not use Delhi merely as a transit corridor. Instead, they should be diverted to the Eastern Peripheral Expressway and Western Peripheral Expressway. CAQM has also suggested that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi should review and rationalise its toll structure, address differences in vehicle classification compared with the system used by the National Highways Authority of India, and conduct a detailed traffic and revenue study.
Officials say the proposed changes, along with technology-based enforcement such as RFID systems and automatic number plate recognition, are intended to reduce the entry of diesel freight vehicles into the capital and bring down the overall pollution load.
