In its fresh application filed before the National Green Tribunal on Tuesday, the Delhi government sought directions to governments of neighbouring states to implement the odd-even vehicle scheme, IANS reported. The Aam Aadmi Party government, in its second review petition, reasoned that pollution in the National Capital Region – Ghaziabad and Noida in Uttar Pradesh, Gurugram and Faridabad in Haryana – as well as in Punjab, affects air quality in Delhi.
The Delhi government has held that introducing the scheme may help reduce the air pollution and severe smog that has enveloped Delhi and several other North Indian cities since November 7. Crop burning in neighbouring states has been attributed as one of the causes for the health emergency in Delhi.
In its petition, its main demand remained wanting to exempt two-wheelers and women from the odd-even scheme, either for one year or till 2,000 additional buses are commissioned in Delhi. “Women will not feel comfortable travelling in heavily crowded buses,” the petition said.
The odd-even scheme helps cut traffic on the roads by prohibiting cars and bikes from plying based on the last digit of their registration numbers – vehicles with odd digits ply on odd dates, and the others are allowed on even dates.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Delhi government had withdrawn its first review petition before the National Green Tribunal, after the panel asked it to provide logical explanations for its request for the exemptions.
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