Odd-even scheme: CNG vehicles exemption would have caused congestion, Delhi govt tells HC

The Delhi government on Wednesday told the Delhi High Court that CNG vehicles were not exempted from the odd-even rationing scheme as they could have caused traffic congestion due to their sheer numbers.

The government's assertions came in its reply to a batch of representations that challenged the implementation of the scheme in the national capital.

The odd-even scheme is a traffic rationing measure in force from November 4 till 15.

The court had last week disposed off the petitions challenging the scheme and asked the Delhi Government to consider them as representations and take a call by November 5.

In its reply, the AAP-led Delhi government submitted, "A large number of CNG vehicles plying on the road will affect the scheme. There should be a minimum exception to achieve the stated objective of the scheme. Grant of exemption will cause congestion on the road."

It also said that two-wheelers were exempted from the scheme as they constitute 66 per cent of the total fleet in the national capital and if they were forced "off the road, it will have serious consequences on not just individual citizens but also on the public transport".

"Public transport is not adequate at the moment to consider a ban on the two-wheelers," the city government stated in the reply.

It also said that women were exempted because of their "security and safety". This came in reply to the petitions which contended that the scheme "discriminates based on gender".

The petitioners had stated that the scheme is being enforced only to "gain political mileage" and that no legal opinion was sought from the law department of the state government before formulating it. They also said that the government had spent crores of rupees on advertisements and promoted the scheme in the guise of curbing air pollution.