Delhi government calls off its odd-even scheme despite NGT clearance

After the National Green Tribunal (NGT) gave a go-ahead to implement the odd-even vehicle scheme for November 13-17 – but with fewer exemptions to vehicle categories – the local government has called off the programme.

Though NGT had cleared the implementation of the Delhi government’s odd-even vehicle plying scheme, it has come down hard on the exemptions granted on the two previous occasions when the scheme was enforced. This time around, two-wheelers, government servants and women will also have to follow the car rationing scheme.

The bench, headed by NGT chairperson, Justice Swatanter Kumar, said that the government has not implemented all the measures suggested for pollution control and has only gone after the odd-even scheme. The city government was also quizzed over its decision to introduce 500 buses during the odd-even week and was directed to clearly state how many of these vehicles ran on diesel.

It also questioned the justification of exempting two-wheelers and women drivers during the odd-even scheme despite knowing that – as per an IIT Kanpur report – two-wheelers caused 46 percent pollution.

Delhi has been experiencing severe air quality and has been reeling under a blanket of thick haze, as pollution levels breached permissible standards multiple times.

Also read: Odd-even scheme to be reinstated in Delhi from November 13