Delhi starts rationing cars to curb pollution

Authorities in the Indian capital of Delhi have launched major restrictions on private cars in an attempt to curb pollution levels.

Private cars with even and odd number plates will only be allowed on the roads on alternate days as from Friday in an initial two-week trial.

The plan will be imposed between 8am and 8pm from Monday to Sunday, and will be enforced by traffic policemen and several thousand volunteers who will check cars at intersections.

Violators will be fined 2,000 rupees and asked to return.

“The biggest challenge is to make people realise that this fight against pollution is for them, for their health, for their own good,” Delhi transport minister Gopal Rai told AFP news agency.

The government has made several exemptions to make it easier to follow the restrictions.

Women will be allowed to drive on all days, but can only be accompanied by women, and children under the age of 12. Cars carrying people with disabilities will also be allowed on the roads on all days.

Emergency vehicles like ambulances, police cars, fire engines and taxis will be exempted from such restrictions, as have two wheelers and cars operating on natural gas.

In cases of medical emergency, the restrictions will not prevent people from driving patients to hospitals.

The government has hired around 3,000 private buses to provide shuttle services into the city from residential areas to ease the extra pressure on the public transport network. Schools in Delhi have also been told to remain closed until the trial ends on 15 January so that their buses can be used as public transport.

The government has also launched a mobile app that people can use to book tuk-tuks to improve last-mile connectivity from metro stations.

However, critics have warned that the plan is impractical due to Delhi’s inadequate public transport system and poor last-mile connectivity from metro stations.

“Let’s not convince ourselves wrongly that a simple odd-even policy will solve the overall air pollution issue,” AFP quoted Arunabha Ghosh, head of the Delhi-based Council on Energy, Environment and Water as saying. “Otherwise, we will be simply kicking the can down the road and we will create a feeling of distrust among citizens and the government machinery.”