The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has prepared a roadmap to utilise its environment fund made up of cess on the sale of high-end diesel cars, which has been lying unutilised for months.
1% cess collected
The country’s apex pollution regulator has around ₹40 crore in its Environment Protection Fund (EPC) as of now, a CPCB official said.
The CPCB has been collecting 1% cess from dealers selling diesel cars with an engine capacity of 2000 CC and above in Delhi-NCR following a directive from the Supreme Court last year.
Pollution monitoring
The regulator has now invited Expression of Interest (EOI) and proposals for projects and studies on improvement and management of air quality in the region, laying emphasis on boosting its pollution monitoring infrastructure.
According to the EOI document, the projects will have to focus on areas like the health impact of air pollution and possible steps to create awareness among the masses by installing LED panels displaying pollution levels, among other measures.