Delhi govt is going to reinstate the odd-even rule this month due to the rise in pollution. Air quality is deteriorating in Delhi and surrounding areas. Gopal Rai, Minister for Environment, Forest & Wildlife, Development, and General Administration in the Government of Delhi, has announced that the odd-even rule will be reinstated to minimize vehicular pollution.
Vehicles with registration numbers ending in an odd digit will hit the roads of Delhi on odd-numbered days. While even-numbered days are for vehicles with even digits. Rai has stated that there will be enforcement of this rule throughout the city. The rule will prevail for a week, starting on 13th November and ending on 20th November.
Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi administration utilized the rule previously to address air pollution in the city. But there is no major evidence of its efficacy. Regarding this vehicle rule, Rai stated, “A meeting has been held tomorrow to hold more discussions on how to implement the Odd-Even scheme in Delhi…In Delhi, there are around 7,000 buses on the road, 1,000 of which are electric. Bus and metro frequency has also risen. An odd-even strategy has been launched to reduce traffic pollution…”
The list of exceptions to the odd-even rule in Delhi is still being compiled. As a result of the deteriorating air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) implemented GRAP stage IV in the Delhi NCR. The AQI in Delhi remained over 450 on November 5, which falls under the ‘Severe+ Air Quality’.