AAP govt seeks modification of NGT order on Odd-even
SEEKING EXEMPTION FOR WOMEN DRIVERS AND TWO-WHEELERS
NEW DELHI: Demanding exemption for women drivers and twowheelers for “this year”, the Delhi government on Monday filed a review petition at the NGT, two days after it decided to halt the traffic rationing scheme after the green court flayed the exemptions.
“We have filed the review petition demanding exemptions for women drivers and two-wheelers for this year only,” Delhi government counsel Tarunvir Singh Khehar told the media here.
On Saturday, the National Green Tribunal gave the go-ahead to the odd-even scheme but disapproved the exemptions granted during the previous two rounds of the odd-even system in January and April 2016.
The Delhi government had on Saturday said it would approach the green court again on Monday requesting the exemptions and, subject to the NGT decision, it would “consider implementing it again”.
Stating it did not have enough public transport as of now to accommodate the extra commuters — over 30 lakh during the odd-even if two-wheelers were not exempted — the Delhi government said the process of procuring new buses was going on.
According to it, about 3,500 new buses were being procured to ply in the national capital.
Earlier on Monday, the NGT questioned the Delhi government for not filing a review petition and wondered if its statement on Saturday was a media gimmick.
Khehar responded that the delay in filing the review petition was due to some registry issues.
The Tribunal would hear the matter on Tuesday, NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said.
The road rationing scheme was to be implemented from November 13 to 17 in a bid to limit the number of vehicles on Delhi’s roads after the city’s air quality went “beyond severe” levels, causing widespread alarm.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Centre and Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab state governments on a plea seeking to curb rising pollution in Delhi and the national capital region (NCR).
A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said that there wouldn’t be any stay on matters about pollution which are going on before any other court.
The apex court issued a notice to the Centre and the state governments concerned on the plea which also sought a direction to promote solar energy and electric vehicles to check pollution.
In another related development, the Delhi High Court on Monday asked the traffic police and the transport department of the AAP government to check whether vehicles on Delhi roads were compliant with pollution norms, saying there was a rampant violation of rules.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar called his Delhi counterpart on Monday to fix a time for meeting to discuss the problem of air pollution in the capital, tweeted Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
In a tweet, Kejriwal revealed that the he will be travelling to Chandigarh on Wednesday to hold the crucial meeting on air pollution.