Will The Odd-Even Scheme Be Implemented In Delhi From November 13? Here’s All You Need To Know

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 7) pulled up the Delhi government over rising levels of air pollution in the national capital. The SC said, schemes like odd-even for vehicles to tackle pollution issue are “mere optics”.

As Delhiites struggle to breathe, given the toxic smog that has engulfed the city and its neighbouring areas, the Delhi government had decided to implement the odd-even scheme from next week. During a press conference on Monday (November 6), Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had said that air pollution may increase after Diwali (November 12),

In view of this, it has been decided that odd-even will be implemented in Delhi from 13 November to 20 November. It will be reviewed after a week.

Also Read: “Stop Stubble Burning,” Directs Supreme Court To Several States As The Air Quality Becomes Poisonous

Know All About Odd-Even Scheme:

1. Under the odd-even system, vehicles with plate numbers ending in an even digit (0, 2, 4, 6, 8) are allowed to operate on even dates, while vehicles with registration numbers ending in odd digits (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) can run on odd dates.
2. During the restricted week, cars will be allowed on the roads only between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. The odd-even rule applies to vehicles of other states too.
3. Mr Rai added that the government is making special arrangements for the ease of commuters and said, “Over 7,000 buses are running in Delhi, out of which 1,000 are electric. The frequency of buses and metros has also increased.”

The ‘odd-even’ was first introduced in 2016 by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to control vehicular pollution and bring down increasing particulate matter levels.

The jury is still out on the effectiveness of the Odd-Even scheme. A study by IIT-Delhi researchers found that the rationing of vehicles on Delhi’s roads reduced air pollution by two to three per cent when the scheme was first introduced in January 2016.

Also Read: Can Air Pollution Cause Cancer? Here’s What AIIMS Doctor Has To Say

The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago and Evidence for Policy Design had analysed the impact of the odd-even system in 2016 and found that Delhi saw a 14-16 per cent reduction in PM2.5 levels during the hours it remained in force in January that year. However, there was no reduction in pollution when the scheme was brought back in April that year.

Following the Supreme Court order, Minister Gopal Rai said that the government will incorporate the court’s suggestions in the detailed planning. He said,

The government has taken the decision to implement the Odd-Even Vehicle Scheme, and regarding that, we have seen a few observations in the media. After that, we have decided that, after studying the Supreme Court’s order, we will make detailed plans, and then we will inform you all. We will incorporate the orders of the Supreme Court in the detailed planning.

He added,

The government had taken the decision to implement it on November 13, but now, after studying the Supreme Court’s order, tomorrow we will inform the details.

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NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.