Is Kejriwal Government Confused About Odd-Even Success In Delhi?

If the Arvind Kejriwal government is sure about the success of the Odd-Even trial in the first fortnight of January 2016, it should announce its date and plan for implementation. If it isn’t so sure then it should admit it and conduct fresh trials with the real scheme parameters – half-hearted implementation is going to lead no-where.

The Delhi government has announced the implementation of the second phase of Odd-Even scheme from April 15, 2016. For the uninitiated, this means the following: Cars with number plates ending with even or odd number would be allowed to ply on Delhi roads only on alternate days. Certain exemptions would be made as was done in the first phase.

The second phase of the trial will also last a fortnight. While the government has termed the first experiment of Odd-Even, an unprecedented success, many independent organizations like Indiaspend.org have contested this claim. They said that the experiment was a success in terms of reducing vehicular traffic but it didn’t lead to any reduction in the pollution levels.

In the end, it all boils down to public perception. What matters is if the citizens of Delhi liked the Odd-Even rule or not. So a public opinion of sorts was sought by the Delhi government which went on to claim that the first Odd-Even experiment was a definitive success. Delhi’s Deputy CM Manish Sisodia says poetically, “Odd-Evenphir sey, Dilli maangey dil sey”

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal gave out the results of its public opinion poll which said that 81 percent people wanted Odd-Even back and over 60 percent wanted it to be permanent. He claimed that two lakh missed calls were received in support, nearly 28,300 suggestions through online forms and some 9000 had come in through e-mail.

If this is correct then why the need for a second phase of the experiment? Why not implement it right away?

Why does the government of Delhi want another set of trials of the odd-even experiment? Is it to revalidate the results of the opinion polls one more time? Or is it to help the citizens of Delhi get used to the bitter pill slowly? There is no clarity.

The second set of experiment will be done without any change in the parameters. The exemptions to two-wheelers and the exemption to lady drivers will continue to stay. The government could have removed some of the exemptions and then monitored the pollution levels, the traffic flow and also gauged the mood of the people.

Delhi has nearly 5.3 million two-wheelers as against 2.5 million cars. It would have been interesting to know how two-wheeler riders coped with the odd-even rule. They enjoyed a smoother ride on Delhi’s roads when the number of cars on Delhi roads was substantially reduced during the trial period. Were they the ones who ‘overwhelmingly’ voted for odd-even to be implemented on a permanent basis?

Kejriwal says, “implementing the formula for a fortnight every month could be explored because it would mean six days of inconvenience for an individual but also a relief for 15 days.” This statement is confounding. If the solution to the problems arising from vehicular pollution lie in the Odd-Even rule, then building a half-way house isn’t a solution. And if the benefits of Odd-Even easily outweigh the inconveniences caused by it, should it not be embraced in full measure? Kejriwal’s mumbo jumbo makes us nervous. Is the Chief Minister somewhat unsure of his own recommendation?

Buses should be added to the existing fleet more vigorously and under-construction Metro lines should be commissioned at a faster pace. The new Line 8 of the Delhi Metro, that starts at Janakpuri in West Delhi and traverses through Old Airport terminal and goes on to terminate in Noida via the Outer Ring Road is expected to be commissioned by the end of this year. This will substantially reduce vehicular traffic on the South West-South Delhi stretch. The addition of new buses, about 3,000 as per the Delhi CM, will prepare Delhi for full-scale implementation of the odd-even rule.

If the Delhi government isn’t sure about its own survey results then in the second phase of the plan it should include the two wheelers as well. Changing the parameters may make the experiment meaningful. Else, it is just a waste of time and money.