The government of Delhi, led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has taken a significant step to address air pollution in the national capital by banning the entry of app-based taxis. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai made this announcement, specifying that only taxis registered in Delhi will be permitted to operate within the city.
Earlier, on November 6, the Delhi government had introduced the Odd-Even scheme as part of its efforts to tackle the ongoing pollution crisis in the city. However, the Supreme Court expressed skepticism about the scheme's effectiveness, describing it as "mere optics" without substantial results. The apex court questioned the efficacy and success of the scheme, remarking, "Have you evaluated how it worked in previous years? Such schemes are only optics," as reported by Bar and Bench.
Regarding the Odd-Even scheme, Minister Rai stated, "The decision to implement the odd-even scheme will be made only after the Supreme Court reviews its effectiveness and issues an order."
The minister also revealed that the Delhi government would present findings from two major studies conducted by the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago and the Delhi Technical University to assess the scheme's impact to the Supreme Court for review. The next hearing on this matter is scheduled for Friday.
