Arvind Kejriwal is trying to save Delhi and its condemned citizens from a calamity. That Delhi's air will soon turn into poison and choke us is a fait-accompli. Somebody will have to clean it, if not us, then the generation that follows. Drastic measures can be deferred — at huge costs — but they are inevitable.
The Delhi government announced on Friday each private car and two-wheeler will be allowed on the city’s roads only every other day from next year in a bid to even the odds stacked against authorities in their efforts to clean up the Capital’s toxic air.
Private vehicles will be allowed to run on the streets on alternate days depending on whether their licence plates end in even or odd numbers, the government declared a day after it faced criticism from the Delhi high court over the city’s mounting pollution problem.
The method, more commonly known as road space rationing, is followed in various forms across the world, though experts said implementation could prove to be a major challenge as well over two million vehicles would have to be kept off the roads every day.
“We are talking about implementing this plan in a city where no one is ready to follow basic traffic rules,” said a senior government official on condition of anonymity.
The model is already in force in Beijing, which Delhi surpassed last year to be ranked as the world’s most polluted city in a WHO report.
The biggest challenge for the government, of course, would be to ensure that restrictions are implemented without creating problems for people. If the use of private vehicles is to be discouraged, it should be simultaneously accompanied by a plan for ensuring last-mile connectivity via public transport, initiatives for carpooling, use of non-polluting modes of commuting and safe tracks for walking and cycling.
When restrictions are placed on such a large scale, their implementation becomes a massive challenge. In India, it could also lead to large-scale corruption and harassment by those who will have the powers to implement the new measures. Kejriwal will have to ensure that less traffic on roads doesn't automatically lead to more money for corrupt traffic cops.
But, the challenges should not deter the government from prescribing these life-saving measures.
And those opposing them should know that they are like boiling frogs: Instead of laughing, they should do something to save themselves from a gruesome end.
SOCIAL MEDIA ON THESEThe biggest challenge for the government, of course, would be to ensure that restrictions are implemented without creating problems for people. If the use of private vehicles is to be discouraged, it should be simultaneously accompanied by a plan for ensuring last-mile connectivity via public transport, initiatives for carpooling, use of non-polluting modes of commuting and safe tracks for walking and cycling.
When restrictions are placed on such a large scale, their implementation becomes a massive challenge. In India, it could also lead to large-scale corruption and harassment by those who will have the powers to implement the new measures. Kejriwal will have to ensure that less traffic on roads doesn't automatically lead to more money for corrupt traffic cops.
But, the challenges should not deter the government from prescribing these life-saving measures.
SOCIAL MEDIA ON ODD EVEN RULE
