Two-wheelers and cars carrying children in school uniform will also be exempted from the odd-even road rationing scheme which will be implemented in Delhi from November 4 to 15, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday.
The odd-even scheme will be implemented from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on all days except Sunday.
The fine for violation will be ₹4,000, up from ₹2,000 charged in April 2016 when the scheme was last enforced.
The Delhi government has asked the Delhi Transport Corporation to hire 2,000 CNG buses during the duration of the scheme. The decision was approved during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.
Relief for dignitaries
Addressing a press conference, Mr. Kejriwal said the list of exemptions includes vehicles of the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Union Ministers and Governors of States among others.
“Chief Ministers of other States and UTs will be exempted, but there will be no relaxation for the Chief Minister and Ministers of Delhi,” he said.
Emergency vehicles such as ambulances, hearses, and those of the fire brigade and jails would also be exempted.
People being transported for medical emergencies in a private vehicle will be exempted on “trust basis”, Mr. Kejriwal said.
“We will stagger office timings and we are waiting for a report from an expert, O.P. Aggarwal. We will tell you the details next week,” he said.
‘Respect all views’
Commenting on the diversity of views regarding the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s air pollution, the Chief Minister said he is himself an engineer and from the science community and respects all experts’ views.
“Opinions given by all experts are right, but the perspectives are different. Today I read in the papers [about] a SAFAR report that they take satellite pictures and then calculate how much [stubble] is burnt, how much carbon is generated, what is the wind speed etc. If I ask how much the pollution is due to a particular source in Delhi right now, no agency can tell.”
The Chief Minister said the Delhi government in its budget had announced a collaboration with Washington University.
Base data
“We have set up a centre next to the DPCC [Delhi Pollution Control Committee] office near India Gate. The centre is taking samples of air in Delhi on a daily basis. After analysing the samples for a year, the base data of air quality in Delhi will be prepared. From next April onwards, we will be able to provide the details of air pollution and sources every four hours. That’s real-time monitoring. The machine has already been installed. But for specific outcome, one year of a base-level study is required,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
