Government divides week between odd, even numbered cars

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal at an event in New Delhi on Saturday.

Speaking at Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2015, Kejriwal said, “Many things have to be sorted out. If there are too many problems, it will be stopped”.

Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur on Sunday virtually endorsed the AAP government’s odd-even scheme for plying of private vehicles in Delhi, saying it can be followed if it helps in reducing the problem, a statement which was welcomed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

“A correct approach will be to think of a long-term solution involving every stake-holder”, he said, adding that the public transport system in the national capital was already overburdened and not as efficient as in some western cities where such a decision was in force. Many things are yet to be thrashed out… We will experiment with it for some time. If there are too many problems, it will be stopped. “After the court’s gas chamber comment, there was panic and it was felt that something drastic has to be done”, he said.

In a radical step to curb alarming air pollution, Delhi Government today restricted plying of private vehicles bearing odd and even registration numbers to alternate days from January 1 in the national capital.

“Kejriwal ji has taken a U-turn on whatever he had said”. “Because we wanted to redesign roads, fix public transport and bring in 10,000 new buses”.

“These measures promise to catalyse change needed to bend the curve of ever rising air pollution levels in the city and prevent premature deaths and illness”, a CSE spokesperson said.

He said tenders will be floated very soon to procure vacuum cleaners from overseas as such machines are not available here.

Asked if it is feasible to implement the odd and even registration number classification on Delhi roads on alternate days, Chander said: “It would be a hypothetical talk and such discussion is not ethical”.

The Aam Aadmi Party leader made no mention about Sundays.

“We are strengthening PUC certificate testing and introducing new features”, he said. “Some problems are political and some problems are constitutional”, he said.

“All I want is freedom to take my decisions”.

“We thought when we will be prepared at that level (bus corridor), we will start imposing some kind of restrictions on private vehicles like cars. They’re happy now that their is no interference”, Kejriwal said.