Odd-even plan called off in Delhi-NCR

The Delhi government has dropped the odd-even traffic plan that was supposed to kick off from November 13th to 17th. 

People in Delhi-NCR can breathe a sigh of relief - well, not from the dense smog but from the fact that the odd-even traffic plan has been put on hold for a while. Last week, Delhi government proposed the plan to start the third-edition of the odd-even scheme, owing to the deteriorating air quality levels in the region. The odd-even traffic plan was supposed to be implemented from November 13-17, 2017. However, a long discussion with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has resulted in the government dropping the plan for the time being.

The decision to call off the odd-even traffic scheme was taken after NGT proposed that there should be no exemptions to women, two-wheeler riders and government officials this time around. Only cases of emergency, CNG and hybrid vehicles should be exempted, said NGT. According to Delhi government, this will overload the already loaded transport system of Delhi-NCR and it’s not feasible to go ahead with the plan. Further, the government says that this will be compromising with women’s safety and the authorities are willing to that. As a result, the government is calling off the odd-even plan for the time being.

The government has asked the NGT to review its decision again and exempt the proposed vehicles. The NGT is expected to release a statement over the matter in the coming week. So, while the decision is being upheld, expect the odd-even plan to return soon with a few modifications.