If there ever was a competition for uniting 20mn citizens of India’s national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will emerge as a winner without a murmur or dissent.
It’s astonishing the way Delhiites have banded together to oppose the Aam Aadmi Party government’s odd/even formula for private vehicles that aims to restrict road traffic and address the poor quality of air in the national capital.
The manner in which the move has been mocked, criticised, arguments advanced and exceptions sought, shows the apathy of a typical citizen to the real problem of the gas chamber the citizens live in. Tens of thousands of Delhi’s citizens - young and old - suffer from bronchial problems caused by inhaling polluted air.
The Kejriwal government’s move comes on the back of a series of directives by the Delhi High Court, which took note of the high levels of air pollution, especially suspended particulate matter (SPM) that can put citizens at the same risk level as those engaged in hazardous industries such as asbestos, mica, coal and bauxite mining. To be fair, the Delhi government has also taken other measures such as ordering the closure of two thermal power plants that emit particulate matter above the permissible limits.
Significantly, citizens don’t mind investing in costly air purifiers, yet are averse to participating in a drive to reduce cars on the road and tackle pollution at its root.
It is a pity that in this debate about odd-even licence plate being allowed to ply on alternate days very little is being done to educate citizens about lung health. “We as Indians are more vulnerable to chest problems. Existing pollution levels will aggravate the situation if not checked by imposing tough measures,” a well-known chest surgeon said recently.
Delhi has been a frontrunner in promulgating moves such as promoting the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) for its public transport buses and fleet of over 100,000 auto-rickshaws. But haphazard commercial and residential real estate growth, exponential rise in new cars on the road (180,000 new cars were added in Delhi in 2014-15 to take the total registered cars up to 2.8mn) have blown away the green cover advantage of the city. Taxis too have exacerbated the problem by taking far too long to conform to both Delhi government and high court orders to stop using vehicles that run on diesel.
The alarming pollution levels certainly need tough action. It’s a pity that the National Green Tribunal’s decision to ban trucks, older than 10 years, in the city met with such a public outcry that the order rests in suspended animation.
Fortunately, the Delhi High Court has refused to entertain a public suit that sought to stay the government’s decision to restrict the number of private vehicles on roads on the basis of the odd-even number of their licence plates from January 1.  Given the seriousness of the situation, it is time for all Delhiites to stop expressing doubts and stop whining about the odd-even formula. Similar plans might have failed elsewhere in the world, but there’s no reason why it cannot work - despite the lack of infrastructure - if the residents unite and carry it forward.
If Delhiites have given the mandate to Kejriwal to lead the government, it is their responsibility to strengthen his hands by making the plan work. If society can stop being so argumentative, Delhi may well be on its way to setting benchmarks for the rest of India to help reduce pollution.