SC stays NGT order making odd-even applicable to 2-wheelers, women-driven vehicles

Two-wheelers and four wheelers driven by women plying in the national capital would be exempted from the odd-even vehicle rotation scheme with the Supreme Court Monday staying the National Green Tribunal's 2017 direction which had made it applicable for all vehicles.

Under the scheme, which is currently not in force in Delhi, odd and even numbered vehicles are to ply on alternate days.

As per the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), the odd-even scheme comes into effect automatically whenever the particulate matter PM10 and PM 2.5 rises to 500 microgram per cubic metre and 300 microgram per cubic metre respectively for 48 hours.

The apex court's order came after the Delhi government said there were around 68 lakh two-wheelers here and it would be "impossible to accommodate" the people in public transport if the odd-even scheme was made applicable for two-wheelers also.

The NGT had on November 11 last year said that "There shall be no exemption to any person, officer and individual and the two wheelers from the ambit and scope of odd and even scheme. They will be applied with equal rigour to all cases and all vehicles."