The Delhi government was scheduled to release information on the scheme’s implementation, including exemptions and fines, on the day the supreme court made its findings.

The Supreme Court characterized the odd-even scheme as “optics” on Tuesday, a day after the Delhi government declared it would implement the program to reduce vehicle emissions, even as it questioned the scheme’s efficacy and past success in bringing down the dangerously high levels of pollution in the nation’s capital.

It also requested a response by Friday from the Delhi government, led by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), regarding the alternative strategies the court recommended for lowering vehicle pollution.

The Delhi government was scheduled to release information on the scheme’s implementation, including exemptions and fines, on the day the supreme court made its findings. Gopal Rai, the environment minister for Delhi, however, stated that they will wait for the court’s written orders before making a judgment about the scheme’s execution in accordance with the SC’s Tuesday directives.

In an effort to address the current pollution crisis, the government had stated on Monday that the vehicle rationing plan will be implemented for one week starting on November 13.

Judges Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia expressed disapproval of the proposal on Tuesday, asking if the odd-even formula had ever worked before. They’re all just for show. The odd-even plan was been implemented in Delhi three times, in 2016, 2017, and 2019.

Aparajita Singh, an amicus curiae, expressed the court’s perspective by calling the plan “unscientific” and citing a December 2nd, 2017 ruling from the top court ordering Delhi and the surrounding states to adopt the color-coding scheme. In essence, it included easily identifying cars by classifying them according to the type of fuel they used. For example, private cars running on diesel had an orange tag, whereas cars running on gasoline had a blue tag.

Singh told the court that other states have not indicated compliance with the color-coding plan, even though Delhi has fully adopted it. Orange-tagged automobiles can be removed off the road through the use of color coding. According to the numberplate, implementing odd even is unscientific,” she remarked, leading the court to order the government to respond by Friday.

In light of the pollution crisis, it also requested that the Delhi government take into account an additional recommendation to keep app-based taxis registered outside of Delhi off the road. “During this time that taxis registered in Delhi alone are allowed to ply, the state may respond if there is any way of monitoring.” The environment compensation charge (ECC) amount and status of vehicle collection were also ordered by the court to be disclosed by Delhi.

Minister Rai of Delhi stated, “We held a meeting today with officials from the traffic police, transport, and environment departments where how to implement the odd-even scheme was discussed.” The meeting was convened following the court’s directions. But we won’t disclose or implement any further plans until we’ve thoroughly reviewed the SC order.

Source- Hindustan times