There is a huge problem of air pollution in Delhi since last few days. To deal with this, the Delhi government had announced the implementation of the odd-even rule for vehicles from 13 to 20 November. This rule can be avoided. The Delhi government said on Wednesday that it will wait for the review from the Supreme Court on the impact of this step.
GRAP 4 is already implemented in the capital, which is a high alert regarding pollution. According to a media report, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has indicated that the odd-even rule can be avoided. He said that after the Supreme Court reviews the impact of the odd-even rule and issues an order on it, the Delhi government will decide the next step in this regard. The Supreme Court had said on Tuesday that the odd-even rule does not help much in reducing pollution. This rule was last implemented in 2019. Its objective was to reduce pollution caused by vehicles. It allows vehicles with registration numbers ending with odd or even numbers to be allowed on the road on alternate days.
Recently, Gopal Rai had written a letter to Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav requesting him to ban the entry of such vehicles in the capital which do not comply with BS6 norms. Under this rule, two-wheelers and cars with even last number on the registration plate are allowed on the roads on one day and vehicles with odd numbers on the next day. However, some vehicles are exempted from this rule. These include emergency vehicles, VVIP vehicles and electric vehicles. There is no specific data available to show that this rule reduces pollution levels.
The major reason for the deteriorating air quality in Delhi and its surrounding cities is the burning of stubble after harvesting the crops in the fields in Haryana and Punjab. In a study conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board about four years ago, it was found that the pollution level had reduced slightly before and after the odd-even but there was no major reason behind it.
