Published in the Times of India The Chief Minister and Transport Minister of Delhi have mooted the possibility of making permanent the odd-even policy of the Government wherein only half the private cars can be on the roads on any given day with odd and even numbered cars plying on Delhi roads on alternate days. Various Constitutional and state functionaries have been exempted as have been women driven and occupied cars and two wheelers. The policy was introduced in response to the growing clamor over high air pollution in the city with activists, media and Courts all weighing in on the consistently front-paged problem. The Delhi High Court stated that the city had become a “gas chamber” and pulled up the Central Government for its inability to come up with an action plan to tackle air pollution. The Center organized meetings with Governments of Delhi and neighboring states to try and come up with a plan. The Delhi Chief Minister said, “A sort of panic was created that the pollution has increased so much that something drastic has to be done”. In this charged atmosphere, the Delhi Government announced the odd-even policy immediately taking the pressure off itself to “do something drastic”. The Government never bothered to break down the sources of air pollution and their relative contribution and the expected impact of such a policy; instead much of the justification from its proponents in Government and outside was some version of “something must be done”.
Delinking Odd-Even From Pollution
Delinking Odd-Even From Pollution
Delinking Odd-Even From Pollution
Published in the Times of India The Chief Minister and Transport Minister of Delhi have mooted the possibility of making permanent the odd-even policy of the Government wherein only half the private cars can be on the roads on any given day with odd and even numbered cars plying on Delhi roads on alternate days. Various Constitutional and state functionaries have been exempted as have been women driven and occupied cars and two wheelers. The policy was introduced in response to the growing clamor over high air pollution in the city with activists, media and Courts all weighing in on the consistently front-paged problem. The Delhi High Court stated that the city had become a “gas chamber” and pulled up the Central Government for its inability to come up with an action plan to tackle air pollution. The Center organized meetings with Governments of Delhi and neighboring states to try and come up with a plan. The Delhi Chief Minister said, “A sort of panic was created that the pollution has increased so much that something drastic has to be done”. In this charged atmosphere, the Delhi Government announced the odd-even policy immediately taking the pressure off itself to “do something drastic”. The Government never bothered to break down the sources of air pollution and their relative contribution and the expected impact of such a policy; instead much of the justification from its proponents in Government and outside was some version of “something must be done”.