Delhi air pollution: SC to decide today regarding implementation of odd-even scheme in national capital

The Supreme Court is set to hear the matter related to the implementation of the odd-even scheme in Delhi on Friday. Ahead of the hearing, the Delhi government filed an affidavit in the top court in response to its direction on air pollution. In the affidavit, the Aam Aadmi Party-led government informed the apex court that traffic congestion has decreased as a result of its odd-even vehicle emissions reduction policy.

The Delhi government’s affidavit was submitted two days after the Supreme Court referred to the odd-even scheme designed to reduce vehicular emissions in the capital as “optics.” 

Delhi govt to submit results of two major studies

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said the city government would submit the results of two major studies conducted by the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago and the Delhi Technical University to determine the scheme’s effectiveness for the Supreme Court’s review.

“A positive impact of rainfall has been noticed on the AQI level. There has been an improvement in the AQI index. The decision to implement the odd-even scheme will be made only after the Supreme Court reviews its effectiveness and issues an order,” the minister said. 

Earlier on November 7, the apex court asked the counsel for the Delhi government whether the odd-even scheme had succeeded when it was implemented earlier. “These are all optics, this is the problem,” a bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia had observed.

Supreme Court’s direction to Delhi’s neighbouring states

Amid a spike in air pollution in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court has directed Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to ensure crop residue burning was stopped “forthwith”, saying it cannot let “people die” due to pollution. The bench also directed the Delhi government to ensure that municipal solid waste was not burnt in the open.

As the city’s air quality worsened, the minister had on Monday announced that the odd-even scheme will be enforced in the city from November 13 to 20. Introduced in 2016, the odd-even car rationing scheme permits cars to operate on alternate days based on their odd or even number plates.

The enforcement next week would mark the fourth time that the Delhi government will implement this scheme to tackle pollution caused by vehicles. According to a 2018 study conducted by The Energy and Resources Institute, vehicular emissions contribute roughly 40 per cent to the (particulate matter) PM 2.5 pollution in the capital.

(With inputs from agencies)

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