Delhi Air Pollution News Live Updates: Minister Gopal Rai gives directions to chief secy regarding 'artificial rain' in city

During the proposed odd-even traffic restrictions in the city next week, the government is discussing whether to bar all NCR cabs or allow a limited number inside the city, transport minister Kailash Gahlot said. "The transport department is equipped to impose a complete ban on taxis which are not registered in Delhi and are coming from the NCR region," transport minister Kailash Gahlot told TOI. "A second option being contemplated is to allow odd-numbered taxis on odd days and the even-numbered ones on even days. The final decision would be taken based on the honorable court's suggestion."

Delhi government’s plan to stop app-based cabs registered in other states from entering the capital if the odd-even rule is enforced next week will make commuting between the capital and the NCR cities difficult and disrupt the transport grid that runs across the inter-connected cities.

Delhi government is planning to restrict entry of cabs registered in other states during the odd-even scheme November 13-20 by either letting only the odd or even numbered cars enter alternately or barring these cabs altogether.

Delhi government will take stringent measures to control air pollution, with all buses entering the city to be only electric, CNG or BS-VI diesel till the situation improves. A senior official said that the rule earlier applied only to buses entering the city from NCR and Haryana, but now would be imposed for all states. However, this would be in place only till the time the city is grappling with severe pollution.

Having announced the return of the odd-even road rationing system for a week from November 13 to November 20, Delhi government has kept the draft proposal ready but is waiting to hear what the Supreme Court has to say on the matter before announcing the details of the norms to be followed. The odd-even system restricts the usage of vehicles to alternate days according to the last digit of their number plate. Sources in Delhi government said that the draft plan exempts cars being used for medical emergencies, those with only women and children aged up to 12 years in them, electric vehicles and vehicles driven or occupied by persons with disabilities.

The lieutenant governor's secretariat on Tuesday alleged that the odd-even rule announced by Delhi government to fight air pollution post-Diwali was an attempt to "mislead" people and courts and "divert attention" from the ongoing crisis caused by air pollution in the city, a charge that was refuted by environment minister Gopal Rai. The LG's office claimed that the file sent by Delhi government showed that the decision to implement the odd-even scheme as part of measures under Stage IV of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was not even approved by Rai. "Subsequently, CM Arvind Kejriwal's office conveyed his approval to deferring a decision on odd-even plying of vehicles as proposed by Gopal Rai, since the CM was out of town," said an official at the LG's secretariat.

With toxic air keeping the National Capital Region on a choke hold, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Delhi and its surrounding states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to stop stubble burning forthwith and termed the odd-even formula to curb the number of vehicles on Delhi’s roads as mere “optics”. Instead, the SC asked Delhi government to explore other options like giving colour codes to cars and barring a few colours on a particular day, and asked it to report back to the court on this.