New Delhi, Jan 11: The Delhi High Court on Monday declined to interfere with the AAP government’s even-odd scheme of vehicle rationing in the capital, saying it was a policy decision taken based on expert knowledge to curb air pollution.
A bench of chief justice G Rohini and justice Jayant Nath said the pilot project was for a limited period of 15-day, “We are of the view that interference by this court is not warranted”. Delhi transport minister Gopal Rai thanked the high court for its verdict.
The bench, however, asked the Delhi government to consider the issues raised in over 12 different petitions against the scheme before coming out with similar scheme in future. The bench had earlier asked the government if the data collected till date “was enough” to gauge the effectiveness of the policy.
The government had on Friday defended the road rationing policy saying it has a “definite positive” effect against air pollution in the capital and told the HC that it may extend it beyond the trial period.
On Friday last, senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for the Delhi government, had submitted a status report on data collected regarding air pollution from January 1-8 after the ambitious road space rationing plan was introduced.
He had defended the scheme, calling it a result of the “emergency” situation that has arisen because of the high level of air pollution in the city. He had also submitted a report by the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, which stated that pollution in Delhi this winter has been four times beyond the safety standard.
