The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) has defended the Odd-Even scheme in the Supreme Court, saying that it increased use of public transport, besides reducing road congestion and fuel consumption.
In an affidavit filed before the Apex Court, the Counsel for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government in Delhi quoted independent studies to say that the scheme has proven to be an effective emergency measure in reducing pollution and congestion.
Noting that it did not carry out any scientific evaluation of the odd-even system, the affidavit shared two independent impact evaluations conducted during the first two implementations of the scheme – during January 1-15, 2016 and during April 15-30, 2016.
It also quoted a traffic impact study carried out by M/s Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) for the scheme in November 2019 to maintain that the policy has had a positive impact in reduction of vehicular pollution, besides reducing congestion on Delhi roads.
On November 7, the Supreme Court had come down heavily on the Delhi government for not taking enough steps to curb pollution.
Calling the Odd-Even scheme as ‘optics,’ the Apex Court questioned its efficacy and success in the past in reducing the dangerously high pollution levels in the national capital.
The Bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia had further directed the GNCTD to submit an affidavit by Friday on measures and steps, which could be taken reduce vehicular pollution
The Delhi government had announced on November 6 that it would roll out the odd-even scheme to curb vehicular emissions. The GNCTD had further planned to announce details of the implementation of the odd-even scheme, including exemptions and penalties to be imposed.
However, after the Supreme Court order on November 7, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said they would wait for the Apex Court orders before taking a decision on the implementation of the scheme.