New Delhi : The Delhi government’s pollution control and traffic decongestion experiment of restricting the use of four wheelers on roads through the odd-even formula is expected to enter the second phase sometime in April after the Class 10 and 12th board examinations are over.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is expected to announce the scheme and the schedule on Thursday, but it is almost certain that this time women drivers who were exempted from the rule when the experiment was first conducted in January 2016 would also be in the ambit of the restrictions.
Though there have been doubts about the actual impact on air pollution, the scheme has the citizens’ support reflecting their growing concerns over the worsening air quality and the traffic snarls that plague their daily life. “Dilli mangey dil se, odd-even phir se (Delhi wants odd-even again, from the bottom of its heart),” said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, claiming that the capital is longing for Odd-Even 2.0.
He said the public, in an over-whelming response to the call for feedback, has sent 12 lakh suggestions to the government’s website and 9,000 emails. The top 20 suggestions were presented to the chief minister.
Delhi began 2016 with a court-ordered attempt to cut its toxic smog. For a fortnight, cars with odd-numbered plates were allowed on the road on odd-numbered dates; even-numbered cars were permitted on the others. Even judges of the Supreme Court had supported the idea and participated in car-pooling practices.
However, the air pollution woes of the national capital region have many other components and the chances of any sustained and substantial improvement in the quality of air depend on the mitigating measures that are taken on all fronts.
