Delhi pollution: Government clarifies on return of Odd-Even rule

Delhi could soon see the return of the Odd-Even rule to restrict vehicular pollution as the national capital continues to witness very severe conditions with air quality index (AQI) reaching new highs. The state government has not ruled out reintroducing the vehicle rationing scheme if pollution levels do not come down. It said that all options, including the Odd-Even rule, are on the table as the government plans to leave no stone unturned to combat pollution.

The Odd-Even rule will restrict plying of all vehicles, including private vehicles, during the phase of its implementation. The Delhi-NCR has currently put a ban on most commercial vehicles and private vehicles with BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel certifications. The Delhi Traffic Police is keeping a strict vigil to stop all vehicles restricted to ply under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage 4 from Monday.

Gopal Rai, Environment Minister of Delhi, has said that the government will take a final call on whether to reintroduce Odd-Even rule based on experts' advice and requirements. The minister said, "From our side, the Delhi government is taking all the necessary steps at our level. We are monitoring everything closely and making decisions on a daily basis. We will consult experts and take all required measures."

What is Odd-Even rule? How does it work?

The Odd-Even vehicle rationing system was first introduced by the Delhi government back in 2016. The vehicle rationing scheme allows private vehicles to operate on alternate days based on registration numbers. Vehicles with registration numbers ending in an odd digit are allowed to ply on days with odd date and those with even numbers on the other alternate days. For instance, vehicles with registration numbers ending in even digits like 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 are allowed on the roads on even dates, while those with registration numbers ending in odd digits like 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 are permitted on odd dates. Critics, however, say that it has negligible impact on pollution levels and only serves to bring down congestion on roads.

Odd-Even rule: Which vehicles are allowed, which are not

Under the Odd-Even scheme, electric vehicles or vehicles with CNG powertrain are exempted and allowed to ply on all days. However, for vehicles running on petrol or diesel will be included under the scheme. In earlier cases, the Odd-Even scheme also exempted two-wheelers, vehicles with women passengers, children aged up to 12 years, taxis, physically disabled people, VIPs, emergency and defence vehicles. However in 2019, when the scheme was last implemented, the CNG vehicles were kept out of the exempted list.

If the Delhi government implements the Odd-Even rule, this will be the fourth time that the national capital will witness the scheme to keep vehicular pollution in check. The Odd-Even rule was first introduced back in 2016. It was implemented in 2016, 2017 and 2019.

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