In a restriction that sounds quite Beijing-like, the Delhi government has decided that odd and even number vehicles will ply on alternate days in the city from January 1.
This, obviously, is being done to curtail the high amount of air pollution in the city.
The decision will not apply to CNG-driven buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws, but additionally, will also cover vehicles entering Delhi from other states. This will affect the 90 lakh {approx.} vehicles registered in Delhi, including 27 lakh cars that cause traffic jams in the city every day.
Other steps that the government has taken include deciding to shut down south Delhi’s Badarpur power plant {a coal-based NTPC plant} and launching a web-based app which people can use to report polluting vehicles in the capital.
The decisions came a day after the Delhi High Court said that the national capital was like a gas chamber, and sought immediate action from the central and Delhi governments.
On Thursday, non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had said that there has been a “sevenfold increase” in Delhi’s air pollution since October. NGO Greenpeace warned recently that the indoor air in Delhi was five times more polluted than it should be according to Indian standards.
The WHO, however, says this is 11 times more than their prescribed level.
What do you think about this move, Delhiites? Read more here.