Kejriwal unites Delhi citizens!

If there was ever a competition for uniting 20 million citizens of India’s national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will emerge as a winner without a murmur or dissent. It is astonishing the way Delhi-ites 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.

Neighbours are shedding their snobbery to ask for advice on how to handle the odd/even dilemma. I have happily started accepting customer appointments at all hours in a bid to make up for the potential business dip as I leap into 2016.

Most people with multiple cars I have met since the announcement was made on December 4 either have number plates that are all evens or all odds. “We sold our only odd numbered car just a few weeks ago,” said a friend during Sunday lunch at the Club. A cousin who has a fleet of cars ending with 777 too was disappointed.

On a serious note, the manner in which the move has been mocked at, arguments advanced and exceptions sought shows the apathy of a typical citizen to the real problem of the gas chamber we 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 the Badarpur and Rajghat thermal power plants that emit particulate matter above the permissible limits.

It is a pity that in this debate about odd-even license 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,” Dr. Arvind Kumar, a well-known chest surgeon at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said recently.

Dr. L.M. Darlong, a thoracic surgeon at the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre, said that as citizens, we need to do everything to support any move to improve the lung health of Delhi-ites.

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.

Long-term measures are certainly needed. The Chief Justice of India, T.M. Thakur, who urged his colleagues to be open to the idea of car pooling last week, came down heavily on the civic agencies on Thursday (December 10), asking them to shed ad hoc decision-making. The Supreme Court has advised the civic bodies to work together and jointly address the problem in phases - short, medium and long-term.

We have nearly three weeks to plan meticulous execution by bringing all players on the same page with respect to their role and responsibilities. If society can stop being so argumentative, we may well be on our way to setting benchmarks for the rest of India to help reduce pollution.

By Sanjiv Kataria