Private vehicles will only be allowed on Delhi’s roads on alternate days from January, authorities said Friday, as the capital tries to curb choking levels of pollution.
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A joint meeting of all stakeholders including traffic police, transport department and Municipal Corporation of Delhi will be called to prepare a blueprint for swift implementation of the executive order.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the air quality of Delhi is said to be “very poor” with an air quality index of 331. DTC buses, Metro services will ply extra.
A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva termed the action plans filed by the environment ministry and Delhi government as “not comprehensive” as they did not contain specific responsibilities of each authority and the timeline for carrying them out.
Environmental activists, however, have welcomed the decision – saying the situation is so grim that urgent drastic steps are needed.
The sweeping move – like the one taken in Beijing in 2013 – will apply to a large bulk of the some 90 lakh vehicles registered in Delhi, where about 1,500 new vehicles are added every day.
Last week India said it would require vehicles to abide by stricter emissions standards by 2019, three years ahead of a previous deadline.
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Pollution typically worsens in the winter months as the cooling of temperatures combines with pollution to cover the city, home to 16 million people, in smog. The Delhi government hopes to reduce emission by half in the national capital by the controversial move.
