New Delhi: Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy today spoke against low excise and customs duty for private vehicles and stressed on the need to provide more incentives for public transport.
He supported "disincentives" for private transportation.
"We need to offer incentives for public transport. I would go a step further and say that we must organise disincentives for private transportation," Reddy said at the closing plenary of the 3rd Urban Mobility India Conference and
Expo here.
"Why should the excise duty for cars be that low? Why should the customs duty for foreign cars be that low?" he asked.
Talking about sustainable urban transport, the Union minister said excise duty should be removed for buses to encourage public transport. "I will write to the Finance Minister to urge him to reduce the excise duty on buses
to zero per cent," he said.
Noting that the paradox of the urban mobility issue was that everybody agreed in principle but very few implemented it in practice, Reddy said those who drive public policy in India as well as car owners must learn to travel in public transport.
"There is a need for encouraging public transport in Indian cities and states," he said.
While efforts have been made to make public transport comfortable and enticing, creative imagination needs to be unleashed for popularising public transport and that more Indian states should do this in a more organised manner, he said.
The concluding day of the conference saw experts and policy makers discuss the important subject of public transport financing and possible implementation strategies.
Successful global finance models were discussed and sustainable mechanisms such as vehicle, fuel and other forms of taxation discussed for feasible revenue models for financing urban transport systems.
It was noted that livability and sustainability overlap was not easy and that a combined effort was required to bring about the desired results.
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