OddEven: Allowing pvt vehicles with school children, patients to be 'trust based', says Kejriwal

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday admitted that there was "a little confusion" over allowing private vehicles carrying school children during the implementation of the odd-even road rationing scheme in Delhi from November 4 to 15.

He, however, added that such vehicles would be allowed based on trust as would be the case with vehicles carrying patients.

Under the scheme, vehicles with odd last digit in the registration number will ply on odd days and those with even last digit on even days.

Besides the issue of vehicles carrying school children, experts and a section of Delhi'ites have criticised the government over poor condition of public transport system, ban on CNG vehicles and exemption given to two-wheelers.

Announcing the notification of the scheme, the chief minister said the success of odd-even in 2016 was due to people's participation and not because of penalty.

He said schools open early in the morning and it was believed that parents can return home after dropping their children before 8 AM when the scheme takes effect every day.

"There is some confusion in it. Schools open before 8 AM and we believe they (parents) can come back before 8 AM. If they go to pick up their children at noon, we will allow (them) based on trust as will also be the case for vehicles carrying patients," he said at a press conference.

However, some parents expressed apprehension over implementation of the "trust based system".

"This trust-based system is fine but there should have been more clarity because how will you assure a traffic policeman that you are a parent and coming back after dropping your children at school or going to pick them up," said Naina Sharma, mother of a school-going girl.

The Delhi government plans to hire 2,000 private buses to strengthen the public transport system. However, it has been able to enlist a little over 300 private buses so far, a transport department official said.

There are currently over 5,600 public transport buses run by DTC and DIMTS.

However, the experts have said that over 11,000 public transport buses are needed to bear the current load of commuters.

The government has not exempted CNG-driven private vehicles from odd-even scheme this time.

It has, however, exempted two-wheelers that form around 88 per cent of total registered vehicles plying on the city roads and are considered to be major air polluters.

Shailesh, a businessman commuting from Patparganj to his office in Kirti Nagar, said this was punishment for those opting for cleaner fuel.

"I drive a CNG vehicle, I should have been allowed. If the purpose of the odd-even scheme is to bring down pollution then vehicles having poorer emission standards should have been banned," he said.

Odd-even as an emergency measure has a role to play in bringing down pollution but it is expected to achieve modest results because several factors control it like weather condition, said Santosh Harish, a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research.

"Undoubtedly if two-wheelers had been banned it would have had a positive effect, but you should also consider that the government has to balance a bunch of factors while making such decisions," Harish said.

The government has justified exemption to two-wheelers, citing constraints of public transport system in the city.

Harish said in the long run the government requires to boost public transport for combating air pollution in a more effective way.