To curb pollution Delhi government proposes plying of even-odd vehicles on alternate days from 1st Jan

New Delhi: A day after the Delhi high court said living in the city was like “living in a gas chamber”, the Arvind Kejriwal government on Friday decided to allow private vehicles with even and odd registration numbers on alternate days from January 1 next year.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the air quality of Delhi is said to be “very poor” with an air quality index of 331. When air quality index ranges between 301 and 400, the air is said to cause respiratory illness on prolonged exposure.
Earlier measures apparently have not dented the increasing air pollution in Delhi, leading to major health issues. In October, the National Green Tribunal announced an “Environment Tax” or “Green Tax” on commercial vehicles entering the city.

This effectively means vehicles ending with an even number will be allowed on a certain day, while those with odd number plates can be driven the next day. The rule will not apply to public vehicles.

The decision, taken at a meeting presided over by Kejriwal, will also cover vehicles entering Delhi from other states. The Delhi government hopes to reduce emission by half in the national capital by the controversial move.

Briefing the media, the Chief Secretary of Delhi K K Sharma said that new methods are being taken in view of the choking pollution level of the city. He said, “Every city needs to adopt some policies that are going to decide the future of it. The decision to implement these new schemes are tough, but we expect that people of Delhi will understand our initiatives.” He mentioned that half of city’s pollution is caused by the private vehicles that ply in the city and cutting the number by half would decrease the alarming pollution level.