Kejriwal govt calls off odd-even scheme after green court strikes down most exemptions

Indian motorists ride past a thick blanket of smog and dust on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, Friday, Nov. 10, 2017.  (AP Photo)

Hours after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) gave its nod to the Delhi government to go ahead with the ‘Odd-Even’ rationing scheme but with certain conditions, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government on Saturday refused to implement the plan stating that it will file a review petition in the green court on November 13.

“In light of the two conditions by the NGT on two-wheelers and women, at the moment we are calling it off. We will go back to NGT on Monday and file a review petition for them to reconsider their decision regarding the two,” Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot told reporters.

Earlier in the day, the green tribunal allowed the Delhi government to go ahead with the odd-even scheme implementation, but with certain conditions. The NGT said there won’t be any exemptions for two-wheelers, government servants or women, except for all emergency vehicles.

Asserting that the Delhi government cannot compromise on the safety of women, Gahlot added that they also did not have enough buses or alternatives for the public transport to accommodate over 60 lakh two-wheeler riders.

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“We can’t compromise with safety and security of women … the government is concerned about it,” the Delhi Transport Minister said.

On Thursday, the Delhi government had announced that they will reinstate the odd-even scheme from November 13-17 in a bid to check the rising pollution levels in the city, which reached alarming levels in the past one week.

The green tribunal also said, “Odd-Even scheme must be implemented in Delhi NCR as and when PM 10 crosses 300 level and PM 2.5 crosses 500”.

During the hearing, the NGT bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar pulled up the Kejriwal government over the implementation of the odd-even formula and asked the latter if it was sure about the benefits of the vehicle rationing system and that citizens would face no inconvenience because of it. It also asked the government why the rule wasn’t applied when the air quality situation was worse. The green panel also asked them to show the letter on the basis of which this decision was taken and whether the Lieutenant Governor’s approval was taken for the same.

With inputs from ANI, IANS