Kejriwal had on Saturday said the plan to allow odd and even numbered vehicles on alternate days on Delhi roads from January 1 was an “experiment” to deal with the “emergency situation” in the city.
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With experts and Opposition parties questioning the practicability of the scheme, Kejriwal said many things were yet to be thrashed out including exemptions for certain private vehicles and it was a decision taken in principle which will be “thought through”.
“We are to make 15 years the end of the life for all commercial vehicles”, Vijay Chhibber, the top bureaucrat in the transport ministry, told Reuters, saying the order, not previously reported, would be made public within 10 days and the ban enforced next April.
The model is already in force in Beijing, which Delhi surpassed a year ago to be ranked as the world’s most polluted city in a WHO report. He said before taking the drastic step the city government wanted to strengthen public transport, but had to resort to it following the panic triggered by increasing pollution in the capital.
Asked whether the apex court judges would follow the policy and sacrifice by resorting to vehicle pooling to reach the court, he said, “we would love to do so if it helps reduce pollution”.
The measures were announced following an emergency meeting chaired by the Chief Minister, a day after the Delhi High Court compared the city to a “gas chamber”.
According to Kohli, it will create problems for self- employed people, doctors and advocates who need private cars for fast movement at a short notice and also for women who prefer the privacy of their cars in odd hours.
Earlier, the court on Thursday said that plans submitted by the union environment ministry and the Delhi government were “not comprehensive”, and ordered ordered a “time-bound action plan” by December 21. Public transport vehicles, however, will be exempt from the rule.
Mr Kejriwal said reducing pollution was one of the medium term goals of his government.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said implementation would be a challenge.
He announced that the Even Odd number plates vehicles will be allowed to enter Delhi to curb pollution. “There are several options”, Kejriwal said.
“Governance is not rocket science”.
We are also going to implement Eurob standard in Delhi by 1st January 2017 which is a miracle in itself, while centre government might be doing the same in 2019 and onwards.
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“It (air pollution) will get worse every year unless we do something”.
