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Delhi reacts to the odd-even formula and its success around the world

The Aam Aadmi Party, while accused of not cooperating with the municipal corporations and the Delhi police while coming up with such plans, has pleaded with Delhi's folks to try this for 15 days, at least. If this does not work, Kejriwal has said, it will be withdrawn.

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Of the recent anti-pollution measures organised by the Arvind Kejriwal led Delhi government, the 'odd even number plate formula', that will in theory reduce the number of private vehicles plying in Delhi by almost half daily, has set the city abuzz. With almost 75 lakh cars on Delhi's streets, according to statistics from May 2013, and the city's pollution levels going off the charts, the government is pushing this as a desperate measure for increasingly desperate times.

However, even in the midst of a public health emergency, the city, at least the section that owns and drives cars regularly, is trying to wrap its brain around how it will function without its vehicles every other day. This has lead simultaneously to outrage, bewilderment, humour -- mostly on Twitter -- and some willingness to give it a chance. Monday even saw a PIL filed in the Delhi High court against this step being implemented.

The Aam Aadmi Party, while accused of not cooperating with the municipal corporations and the Delhi police while coming up with such plans, has pleaded with Delhi's folks to try this for 15 days, at least. If this does not work, Kejriwal has said, it will be withdrawn.

Vehicular pollution is an established cause of pollution levels. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee ( DPCC) stations' data on Monday read PM 2.5 and PM10 at 381 and 647 micrograms per cubic metre, in pockets of the city. The World Health Organization has designated the safe level for PM2.5 particles at 25.

Meanwhile, in Beijing, a city that frequently competes with Delhi for the higher pollution levels, the first ever red alert was announced as the PM2.5 particles read at 300 micrograms per cubic metre, and climbing.

However, with barely three weeks left to go for the formula's 1 January implementation, there is much concern over the public transportation in the city. Though the government has announced upping of metro frequency, hiring more buses to supplement the Delhi Transport Corporation's fleet, installing CCTV cameras to check violators, time might be too short for proper implementation. The government, it seems is on a war footing to make the project work, with PWD minister Satyendra Jain and transport minister Gopal Rai seeking meetings with union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, and Kejriwal himself seeking an audience with union home minister Rajnath Singh to discuss all related issues.

Global examples have also been cited -- Beijing implemented the measure before the 2008 Olympics, Athens and Mexico City have tried it in some form or the other, and Paris gave it a go last year. All saw some measure of success, with the French government apparently hailing the move after only one day.

However, a report in The Guardian, from 2014, warned that such restrictions, if put in place arbitrarily, can backfire. Mexico City saw driver buying cheaper, less inefficient cars to get around the ban, raising the pollution levels after an initial drop. Bogota, Columbia, saw drivers using off peak hours to do more driving, after the authorities restricted cars during peak hours, leading to more emissions. Beijing, too, after a successful run saw people buying more cars.

If the Delhi government has to make a success out of this scheme, even a short term one, it will have to chart out a plan to plug such gaps.

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