Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot has asked Bhure Lal, the chairperson of the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA), to advise other cities in the National Capital Region to implement the odd-even scheme.
Scrutiny by NGT
In a letter on Wednesday, Mr. Gahlot cited the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) — the emergency pollution-control plan that the EPCA is tasked with implementing and monitoring — which says that all NCR towns are to undertake the odd-even car rationing scheme when pollution levels enter the highest severe+ or emergency level.
While the Delhi government's decision to roll out odd-even came under the NGT's scrutiny and was eventually put off, Mr. Gahlot said the EPCA had remained silent on the NCR towns.
“It needs to be appreciated that unless GRAP is implemented across all NCR towns, pollution level in Delhi as well as neighbouring towns cannot be brought down,” the Minister wrote.
As per the GRAP, if emergency levels of pollution are recorded for 48 hours straight then entry of trucks into Delhi is to be stopped, construction halted and odd-even rolled out in the NCR towns.
‘No exemptions’
The Delhi government had announced the implementation of odd-even from November 13 to November 17, after severe+ or emergency level of pollution was observed for more than 48 hours on November 9. The NGT had questioned the government’s decision to give exemptions to two-wheelers and cars driven by women. Since the NGT ordered that no exemptions could be given, the government called off odd-even on November 11. Since then, air quality has improved, reducing from emergency to severe and then very poor.
