The Uttarakhand govt is all set to implement a green cess on vehicles entering the state from other states, following the model adopted by neighbouring Himachal Pradesh. As per a notification issued on Friday, the cess would be collected at toll plazas through FASTag, with amounts ranging from INR 20 to INR 80. Electric vehicles and cars fuelled by CNG will be exempted.
Secretary of transport, Arvind Singh Hyanki, said that while the notification came into effect on Friday, the collection of the green cess from vehicles entering Uttarakhand will require some time to organise.
Highlighting challenges posed by closure of manual checkposts at entry points, Hyanki said, “Earlier, we had checkposts operational at entry points for collecting entry fees, but they have been closed for a few years now. We realised that collecting a fee or cess at manually operated checkposts was inconvenient for tourists and people, in general, visiting Uttarakhand due to long queues.” He added, “Now, the green cess will be collected by the concessionaires of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).”
Explaining the timeline of implementation, Hyanki said talks with the Centre have significantly progressed, and collection of cess will begin before the commencement of the Char Dham Yatra.
According to the transport department, three-wheelers and four-wheelers (LMVs) will be subject to INR 20 and INR 40 respectively as green cess, while medium and heavy motor vehicles will have to pay INR 60 and INR 80 respectively.
However, officials said, two-wheelers, govt vehicles, fire tenders and ambulances, Army vehicles and vehicles used for farming will be exempted from the green cess.
Vehicles from other states will have the option for one-time entry by paying the prescribed rate for a day. Alternatively, they can opt to pay 20 times the standard rate for a three-month period or 60 times the green cess rate for the entire year.
