India, Oct. 2 -- The Supreme Court has removed a decade-old exemption on commercial vehicles carrying essential commodities from paying the environment compensation cess (ECC) before entering the Capital, a decision that could ease the pollution load and traffic congestion at Delhi's borders.

In an order passed last Friday, a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B. R. Gavai, directed all commercial vehicles entering Delhi to uniformly deposit ECC after the court found that its order granting exemption to essential goods carriers posed a "genuine" difficulty. The order was made public on Tuesday.

First imposed by the Supreme Court in 2015, the ECC is a fee levied on commercial vehicles entering Delhi to mitigate air ...