Buying a diesel car just got costlier in the city as the Delhi government has implemented a 25 per cent increase in tax at the time of vehicle registration. The move, aimed at curbing the growing number of diesel-run vehicles in the city, will also boost revenue. Though the hike has proved a dampener for young professionals planning to buy a diesel car, many are applauding the move’s environmental benefits.
Says Shilpa Arora, who drives a diesel car, “If diesel cars add to pollution, then I feel that we as responsible citizens should stop buying them. In the long run, this could be more hazardous. I have been driving a diesel car for the past two years, but I think it’s time to switch to petrol cars that might prove heavy on the pocket but will go easy on the environment. Pollution causes asthma and many other respiratory diseases. It could be dangerous for all of us. If a little effort on our end makes a difference, I won’t mind making a switch.”
However, reports from car manufacturers like Tata Motors, who sell the most number of diesel cars, and Maruti, whose Swift diesel is a popular model, suggest that sales haven’t been affected by the tax hike. “Although the tax has been levied from March 1, it has not really affected the sale. However, we can’t comment on future sale results,” says a Tata Motors dealer in Lajpat Nagar.
But a few disagree with the logic of making diesel cars costlier. Rahul Sujay, a corporate lawyer who was planning to buy a diesel car, says, “I think our ministers aren’t aware that diesel cars these days are less polluting and more eco-friendly than earlier. Diesel cars are more fuel-efficient and should be promoted and not discouraged by increasing prices. Better mileage translates into lesser fossil fuel usage and exhaust fumes.”