The court was hearing 12 PILs challenging the Delhi government’s decision to only allow even- and odd-numbered vehicles to ply in Delhi on alternate dates from January 1 to 15.
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The AAP Government had declared that the first two working days since the inception of the Odd-Even scheme was a success. It said that the public was being inconvenienced by the rule as there isn’t enough public transport to support it. The High Court also asked the government to provide pollution data for the January 1-7 period by Friday.
The Government on Tuesday had said that a data of pollutants collected from over 55 locations showed a clear trend of improving air quality in several areas across the city and that there has been a “positive impact” of the odd-even scheme.
“In these six days you must have collected data related to pollution level, we think it’s sufficient for you”.
However, a report by IIT Kanpur had said vehicular pollutions contribute to around 25 per cent of PM2.5 concentrations during winters which comes down to 9 per cent during summers. “Have started taking baby steps to curb pollution in Delhi”.
Opposing the move from various sections of the society, senior standing counsel Rahul Mehra, appearing for Delhi government, said “the scheme is only for 15 days and the State is equally pained by the inconvenience being caused to public”.
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In a status report submitted to the court, the AAP government defended its decision to exempt two-wheelers from the scheme.
