Soon, pay green tax via FASTag at Manali barrier

Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, January 27

Soon, tourists will be able to pay the toll at the first and only green tax barrier in Manali through FASTag.

It will be the first such automated FASTag barrier, other than national highways, in the country. Vehicles coming from other states will be levied a composite environmental fee to enter the town; Rs 100 and Rs 200 will be charged for LMVs, Rs 300 for medium-size vehicles and Rs 500 for heavy vehicles.

Till now, the green tax is collected manually. Since its inception on June 19, 2004, there is a single window to collect the tax. Now with the automation of the barrier, tourists and common people will get rid of traffic jams, which worsens during the peak tourist season.

Meanwhile, local residents have lauded the initiative of the Kullu administration. The Tribune had highlighted the issue on July 12 last year. The entire maintenance and upkeep of the green tax barriers is undertaken by the Kullu Tourism Development Council, headed by the Kullu Deputy Commissioner, which is running these barriers with the help of manual receipts and barricades, assisted by a few Home Guard personnel.

Kullu DC Ashutosh Garg said the entire system was almost ready and the FASTag collection would be launched within a week. He said two lanes with boom barriers had been set up on the Rangadi barrier on the right bank road. He added the automation of the barrier would save time and provide transparency to the entire process. A green tax barrier has also been installed on the left bank road but this route is less frequented by tourists and the toll would collected here manually.

The green tax barrier at Rangadi generally witnesses over 2,500 vehicles daily during the peak season and the rush further increases at weekend. An annual income of Rs 4 to Rs 5 crore is generated from the green tax barrier.

Around Rs 70 crore had been collected as green tax at the barriers in the past 17 years while around Rs 65.50 crore had been spent to develop facilities for tourists such as parking lots, toilets at tourist spots, road repair, sanitation and beautification activities.

Even as the earnings are used to improve civic amenities, questions about the conservation of greenery and reducing carbon emissions remain. Environmentalists opine that the amount collected at the green tax barriers should be utilised to conserve greenery and employ measures to reduce carbon emissions.

Service to be launched within a week: DC

• Vehicles coming from other states will be levied a composite environmental fee to enter the town.
• For LMVs, Rs100 and Rs200 will be charged whilRs300 and Rs500 will be charged for medium-size and heavy vehicles.
• Kullu DC Ashutosh Garg says the system is almost ready and the FASTag collection will be launched within a week.