#PollutionFreeDelhi: Kejriwal urges children to carpool, not litter

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday urged school children to ask their parents to follow the odd-even scheme and encouraged them to opt for car pooling in order to reduce the pollution levels in the capital

Pressure your parents and relatives to follow the odd even rule, and ask them to get a pollution certificate for their cars immediately, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal told students of a government school on Wednesday as he sought their support in the odd-even traffic restriction policy.

Car Pooling cuts down on number of cars on road, lesser cars mean less carbon,gases & emissions in the air, said Kejriwal

Explaining the rationale behind the policy, Kejriwal called on the young citizens of Delhi to try and do their part in ensuring that the trial period from January 1 - 15 would be a success.

“Gopal Rai, who is the transport minister of Delhi, decided to have the first car-free day on October 22. During those days it was observed that the city’s air quality had improved, so we decided to implement the odd-even scheme, as cars are also a source of PM2.5 pollutant which effects health,” said Kejriwal at Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya, Civil Lines.

Transport minister Gopal Rai, education minister Manish Sisodia and director of education Padmini Singhla were also present, who took an anti-pollution pledge along with the chief minister and students.

Kejriwal further urged students to be pro-active, asking them to download the Swacch mobile application and even file complaints against those found burning waste.

Saying the government would not be able to challan every violation, Kejriwal added, “You students will have to stop whoever you see violating the rules.”

The chief minister later fielded questions from students after administering the oath, one of which was about a possible increase in vehicle numbers to counter the odd-even restriction.

“This is not so,” he replied, saying it was an issue “created by the media”. “Not everyone has the capacity to buy two cars.”

Though most students seemed buoyed by the policy, quite a few of them were not happy about the exemptions given.

“We talk about equality and women empowerment, so why were women drivers given exemption? If the government wanted to implement a rule, (it) should have been same for all,” said class 10 student Aisha.

Kejriwal also informed the audience that vacuum cleaners would be used to clean roads to reduce dust particulates, as is done in foreign countries.