The Delhi government’s announcement that it will implement the odd-even scheme from November 13 — a day after Diwali — is a step in the right direction. The city has been registering severe on the Air Quality Index since the past four days and experts do not anticipate an imminent release from the chokehold of particulate matter. Records of recent years show that air pollution takes a turn for the worse after Diwali. The city’s earlier trysts with road rationing show that it does not reduce the airborne toxins below permissible limits. But there are at least two reasons that the measure should still be a part of Delhi’s pollution mitigation arsenal. For one, the pollutant load on Delhi’s air is such that no feasible step to bring relief to the city’s residents should be kept out of the policymaker’s book. Two, several studies indicate that vehicular emissions contribute about 30 per cent to the cocktail of toxins in the city’s air. The odd-even scheme could keep about 12 lakh vehicles off the roads. It, therefore, raises hopes of fewer traffic jams and less emissions from idling engines.
The AAP government will have to coordinate with other environmental management bodies — especially the National Green Tribunal (NGT) – and agencies in charge of the NCR’s transport. In 2017, a disagreement between the Delhi government and the NGT over exemptions stalled the introduction of the odd-even scheme at the eleventh hour. While the modalities of this year’s scheme have not been worked out, two-wheelers have reportedly been kept out of its purview. A repeat of the confrontation will only make people’s lives more difficult. The Delhi government has done well to increase the city’s bus fleet in the past five years. The Metro network has also expanded. However, by all accounts, the system is still not able to adequately cater to all the people who commute on a daily basis. An arrangement where different modes of transport in the city are efficiently linked with each other is still in the works. As an immediate measure, Delhi’s authorities would do well to improve the last-mile connectivity of people who use the Metro.
