Delhi puts the brakes on pollution

GOVERNMENT HAS DECIDED TO LIMIT NUMBER OF PRIVATE VEHICLES ON THE ROADS THROUGH ODD-EVEN SYSTEM

The Supreme Court had recently imposed environment compensation charge of Rs700 (Dh38) and Rs1,300 on polluting trucks entering Delhi. This resulted in 30 per cent reduction of commercial vehicles entering the city.

The hot topic among Delhi residents these days is not how and where to celebrate the New Year, but to know from one another whether they possess a car with an even or an odd number plate.

Starting from January 1, 2016, the Delhi government will enforce a new code on private vehicles.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government announced a radical move to clear the air in one of the world’s most polluted cities, by restricting the number of cars on roads.

It is the first time an Indian city is attempting such a move.

According to the plan, odd numbered vehicles will run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and even numbered vehicles will run on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Sundays will be free-for-all.

The city has 2.7 million private cars, official data shows.

With 50 per cent of vehicles going off the road, there would be about 1.2 million fewer cars on the roads daily.

Experts are expecting minimum drop of 30 per cent in the level of particulate matter in the air, which is considered the most prominent pollutant in Delhi.

Experiment

The chief minister said, “The odd-even formula [for private transport — two wheelers and four wheelers] will apply to everyone including ministers and bureaucrats. Only emergency vehicles, such as ambulances, fire tenders, police vans and public transport, will be exempted from the policy decision. Also, taxis, buses or public transport will not be affected.

However, he added, “Many things are yet to be worked out and we will experiment with it for 15 days. If there are too many problems, it will be stopped.”

According to the CM, the government was planning to implement the scheme at a later stage, but the Delhi court’s concerns and that of the activists call for immediate action, instant steps had to be taken.

Though Delhi residents agree the city’s air needs to be cleaned, they don’t agree with the rush with which the scheme is being thrust on them and term the entire exercise as ‘premature’.

Henna Rohatgi, an office executive says, “I reside in east Delhi and use my personal car for commuting to office in Gurgaon. None of my colleagues stay nearby, hence the car pooling option is ruled out. The mere thought of travelling by overcrowded Metro or a DTC bus is giving me the jitters. The government should come up with something smarter.”

However, keeping women’s safety issues in mind, the government is considering exempting lone women drivers from restrictions. Admitting the government has announced the plan without thrashing out its modalities, the CM, who met Federal home minister Rajnath

Singh seeking the Centre’s support said, “Singh’s response was very positive.”

The government’s proposed car scheme has also got a shot in the arm with Chief Justice T.S. Thakur supporting the idea. Commenting on the ambitious move, Thakur said even the judges are agreeable on carpool and can also go to court in buses. “If that helps we are ready for it. We have to send across a message.”

The Supreme Court had recently imposed environment compensation charge of Rs700 (Dh38) and Rs1,300 on polluting trucks entering Delhi. This resulted in 30 per cent reduction of commercial vehicles entering the city. The government had earlier also announced a fine for burning waste, but it is not being enforced strictly and almost everyday there are reports of garbage piled up being set on fire, which contributes to the toxic particulate pollution. In addition, construction dust continues to be a problem despite the National Green Tribunal’s orders of imposing a fine of Rs50,000 on violators.

Though there is still a long way to go before the proposed car plan can be successfully implemented, the issue has drawn massive reactions — from some terming it bizarre to others applauding the move.

Ved Mathur, a student, asked, “How will I go to school? My parents drop me at school and take the vehicle to work, as they run a business in Noida. It will not be feasible for middleincome group people like us to hire a cab every alternate day. But when I see the bigger picture and the activists fighting to curb pollution in the city, I feel responsible. I only hope we can think of alternative ways to curb poisonous air in Delhi.”

In the face of criticism, Kejriwal maintained, “We had one option that we could continue doing homework for the next two years even as children would continue to cough and die.”