There are some interesting things in this interim order.
1) Some reports suggest that the petitioners were not seeking an immediate ban as meted out in the interim order. The bench took only a few minutes to go into the petition, some media reports say.
2) The NGT banned vehicles older than 10 years in Kochi city, but in neigbouring the Eloor Municipality, there is no ban. Many research reports indicate that parts of Eloor are among the most polluted locations in the whole country. One report even calls it a 'pollution hotspot'.
3) The NGT is not bound by the tedious adherence to codes and procedures, and is supposed to ensure that 'natural justice' prevails. Whether such an extreme measure taken for the intervening time without hearing the parties constitute the concept of 'natural justice', I am unsure of.
4) On exempting "local authority" vehicles, it needs to be clarified what exactly come under this definition. The state bench of the tribunal cannot hod a state level authority to be "local", so it should possibly mean vehicles of Local Self Government (LSG) institutions. AFAIK, only corporations are allowed to procure vehicles on their own, and for all other LSG institutions, it is the state LSG Department that buys and allots the vehicles. I admit I am not fully aware of the procedure, so if somebody would enlighten me, it would be great.
5) The soundness of a 2,000 cc cap or values in a pollution check, all are secondary issues. If the ban on vehicles helps somehow to clean up our environment, such matters are of little consequence. Nothing is 'more than enough ' when it comes to bring pollution under control
6) The NGT, I hope, would in its final order, award a refund of 5 years road tax to the owners of private vehicles.
7) I hope on appeal, the SC may allow the State Government at least a year's time to make budgetary provisions to replace vehicles- including KSRTC buses- that are more than 10 years old, and public vehicles, ie, buses, police, fire & rescue vehicles and ambulances are given exemption till then.
8) The NGT bench would hopefully suggest an environmentally friendly method to deal with the scrapped 10+ year old vehicles that are sure to pile up in the state.
9) Those unfortunate private persons who own 10+ year old vehicles like taxis, auto- rickshaws and buses, who find their livelihoods under threat, I expect the government to offer them tax rebates on the new vehicles they buy to replace their old ones.
9) Seeing how this order came out, IMHO, it is high time that the government stops creating a fourth pillar of the state- these authorities, tribunals, boards and commissions. They do nothing effective than adding layers of red tape. Such quasi- executive, quasi- judiciary bodies seem to serve no other purpose than as favors for retired judges and senior civil servants. Let the ministers head the executive, and implement the laws passed by the legislature, and the judiciary keep an eye over them.
10) NGOs and self styled do gooders should be made to maintain some standards of peer review, disclosure, reporting and public scrutiny befor they are allowed to take up so called matters of 'public interest'.
Finally,
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Originally Posted by Captain Haddock An advasi may not.pay income tax but every commodity or service when bought has a tax component to it and no one.is exempted from it. |
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Originally Posted by Captain Haddock the tax given by an adivasi could be used to subsidise the fuel in a Landcruiser or Fortuner, ironic because the adivasi may not be able to pay for two square meals a day. |
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Originally Posted by Rahul Rao Which state is subsidizing diesel. Diesel subsidy ended in Nov 2014. As of now both Diesel and Petrol attract Rs 3 and Rs 6 as basic exise duty. Rs 9/Lit as additional exise duty, and Vat which varies from state to state, with diesel usually in the 12.5 % or 14.5 % catagory, and Petrol in the much higher 20% catagory. |
While
Rahul Rao has adequately addresses your concerns on Diesel subsidy,
Captain Haddock, I am really hurt to see that in this day and age, you are using the word 'adivasi'.
Being unable to afford "two square meals a day" has nothing to do with being an 'adivasi'. Hunger and deprivation are not linked to your caste.
I find your remark "advasi may not.pay income tax" disappointing and unpleasant. Your 'adivasis', or those belonging to the Scheduled Tribes to correctly put it, are not exempted from Income Tax or any other tax. They contribute to the tax kitty in their own way. There are many people from the Scheduled Tribes who serve the society as doctors, scientists, civil servants, educationists, etc. and they pay their taxes like any other honest citizen.
So I humbly suggest we take exception to such remarks which bears negatively on the appropriateness and propriety of this forum.