Delhi Air Pollution: NGT to take call on Kejriwal Govt’s Odd-Even scheme today

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Saturday will take a call on whether the Delhi government’s odd-even plan should be implemented in the city from next week. The NGT is hearing Delhi government’s arguments on its effectiveness.

The tribunal on Friday said the scheme was a “farce”, and that it cannot be implemented from next week without its permission. The National Green Tribunal on Friday directed the Delhi government to submit data or studies on the basis of which it has planned to introduce the odd-even carrationing scheme for five days from next week.

The green panel questioned the rationale of the AAP government in rolling out the scheme when reports by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) had found that the levels of PM10 and PM2.5 were cumulatively higher when the scheme was implemented twice earlier.

On April 21 last year, the CPCB had told NGT that there was no data to suggest that the odd-even scheme has led to a decline in vehicular pollution in Delhi-NCR. Under the scheme, vehicles with odd and even numbers are allowed to ply on alternate days.

Directing the city government not to implement the scheme unless it established that it was not counter-productive, the NGT asked it to give an undertaking that it will roll out odd -even only when particulate matter (PM) 2.5 was over 300.

The prevailing level of PM2.5 in the capital was hovering around 433 microgrammes per cubic metre, while PM10 stood at around 617, as per latest CPCB data.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also directed the city government to submit the comparative ratio of the emission caused by diesel and petrol vehicles and asked it to clearly enumerate the contribution of small petrol cars in pollution.