NGT junks petition challenging odd-even plan

The petition, filed by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, argued that an analysis of odd-even’s previous editions had found Delhi’s ambient air quality had deteriorated further when the scheme was implemented compared with when there were no restrictions in place.

The National Green Tribunal Wednesday dismissed a plea challenging the Delhi government’s decision to implement the odd-even car rationing scheme in the national capital from November 4-15.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal last week announced a rerun of the scheme as part of a seven-point action plan to tackle peak winter pollution. (HT FILE)

“Under which law of the land is this plea maintainable?” a bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel asked the petitioner and “dismissed it as withdrawn”.

The petition, filed by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, argued that an analysis of odd-even’s previous editions had found Delhi’s ambient air quality had deteriorated further when the scheme was implemented compared with when there were no restrictions in place.

In 2016, the scheme, under which odd and even numbered vehicles ply on alternate days, was executed in two phases -- January 1-15 and April 15-30.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal last week announced a rerun of the scheme as part of a seven-point action plan to tackle peak winter pollution.

“At a time when the country’s top environmental pollution control boards like CPCB and Delhi Pollution Control Committee unequivocally stated that the odd-even policy, when implemented in the year 2016, failed to curb air pollution, the Delhi government’s decision to implement it merely based on a study by people of other countries is not only unpleasant but also downgrades the reputation of these institutes,” the plea had alleged.

The plea asked the Delhi government to constitute a committee of senior scientists to check the veracity of the study.

In its report in 2016, CPCB had told the panel that there was no conclusive data to suggest the scheme had any impact on reducing vehicular pollution, one of the major sources of PM 2.5 (the most prominent pollutant in Delhi).