: Starting December, the Uttarakhand government will begin collecting a green tax from vehicles entering the state from outside, officials said on Saturday. The move aims to curb pollution, protect the environment, and promote cleanliness across the hill state.
According to the transport department, different rates have been fixed for various vehicle categories. Small vehicles will be charged Rs 80, small cargo vehicles Rs 250, buses Rs 140, and trucks between Rs 120 and Rs 700 depending on their weight.
State Additional Transport Commissioner Sanat Kumar Singh said Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed along the state’s borders will automatically record the registration numbers of vehicles entering Uttarakhand.
“Earlier, 16 cameras were installed in the border areas, and now the number has been increased to 37 to ensure complete coverage,” Singh said.The transport department has appointed a private vendor company to collect the green tax. The ANPR cameras will send vehicle data to the vendor through specialized software, which will separate information related to Uttarakhand-registered, government, and two-wheeler vehicles. The remaining data will be forwarded to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) database.From there, the wallet numbers of vehicle owners will be traced, and the corresponding tax amount will be automatically deducted and credited to the account of the state transport department.
Officials said the initiative is part of Uttarakhand’s broader effort to reduce vehicular emissions and ensure sustainable tourism and transportation in the state.
