'Schemes like odd-even mere optics': SC to Kejriwal government as Delhi chokes on polluted air

“Schemes like odd-even mere optics,” the Supreme Court of India said Tuesday as it came down heavily on Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi. The court said Delhi can’t be made to go through air pollution issue year after year. The statement by the apex court came a day after a meeting chaired by CM Arvind Kejriwal announced that the odd-even car rationing system will be enforced from November 13 to 20. The court slammed the AAP government in the national capital and said, “the Delhi government also must be responsible (for air pollution). There are many buses running that pollute and run at half capacity. You have to attend to the problem.” The court also asked Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan governments to take steps to stop stubble burning which it said was one of the major contributors to air pollution. What is Delhi’s odd-even scheme? Under the Odd-Even scheme, vehicles with license plate numbers ending in an even digit (0, 2, 4, 6, 8) are allowed to operate on even dates, while those ending in odd digits (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) can ply on odd dates. Delhi pollution On Tuesday morning, pollution levels in Delhi marginally dipped and were recorded in the “very poor” category after five consecutive days of severe air quality. The national capital’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 394, a marginal improvement from 421 recorded at 4 pm on Monday. Despite a marginal dip, the concentration of PM2.5 fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and triggering health problems exceeded the government-prescribed safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by seven to eight times in the capital. It was 30 to 40 times the healthy limit of 15 micrograms per cubic metre set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Several cities in neighbouring Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh have also reported hazardous air quality. Ghaziabad recorded an AQI of 338, Gurugram 364, Noida 348, Greater Noida 439 and Faridabad 382. According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi-NCR, the region is likely to experience severe air quality for another five to six days. Breathing in the polluted air of Delhi is equivalent to the harmful effects of smoking approximately 10 cigarettes a day, said Rajesh Chawla, senior consultant in pulmonology and critical care at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. With inputs from agencies