Farmers Movement Archive

RFID: Fine on defaulters on hold pending air panel nod

NEW DELHI: South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) will restrict the entry of commercial vehicles without valid Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags or sufficient recharge into Delhi from July 1 at all the toll points. However, the civic body has put on hold its decision to impose a penalty on defaulting commercial vehicles for now for want of permission from the commission for air quality management in the capital. Officials say that the RFID system has been activated at all 124 toll points but 11 of those, where farmers are sitting on strike, are non-operational. “At all toll points, the concessionaire has been directed to collect the tax online or return the vehicle. We have decided to start the videography of toll plazas soon to check the implementation of directions,” said an SDMC official. “To make people abide by the norms, we had written to the commission to give us authority for collecting double the amount of toll tax (as penalty) from defaulters entering the city without proper recharge or valid RFID, but no reply has come so far. Till now, we have managed to issue around 5.5 lakh tags but there are at least 7 lakh commercial vehicles entering the city every day. Also, many vehicles, which have tags, are not recharged properly,” said the official. TOI tried contacting MM Kutty, chairman of the air quality management commission, on this issue but there was no reply. Last month, SDMC had issued a public notice specifying that the work for installing the RFID system for collection of toll and environment compensation charge was completed at all 124 toll plazas in the capital. Considering the pollution situation and commercial vehicles being an important contributor to it, a system to issue RFID tags and collect toll tax and environment compensation charge online was earlier set up in Delhi. It was initially installed at just 13 locations. RFID tags can be obtained or recharged at 39 points of sale system set up at Delhi’s entry points, including Kapashera, Rajokri, Aya Nagar, Badarpur, Tikri, KGT, DND, Kalindi Kunj, Ghazipur Main, Ghazipur Old, Shahdara Main, Shahdara Flyover and Palam Vihar.

The Times of India

2021-07-01

Delhi