With the growing severity of air pollution in the national capital, the Delhi government is considering enforcing new restrictions on the movement of passenger vehicles. The latest move focuses on app-based taxi services, with plans to prevent non-Delhi registered taxis from plying in or entering Delhi. The news comes shortly after the Supreme Court asked the Delhi government to consider only allowing Delhi-registered taxis from plying on the streets of the national capital.
Also read: Delhi Government To Implement Odd-Even Scheme From November 13, 2023
As per a PTI report, the Delhi Transport Department has received directions to impose the said ban, though an official detailed order is yet to be put in place. The report stated that it was not yet clear if the ban would be immediate or would come into effect during the Odd-Even scheme. Should it come into effect, app-based aggregators such as Ola and Uber will only be allowed to ply Delhi-registered taxis in the national capital, which could hamper the availability of cabs.
Also read: Delhi Environment Minister Urges Residents To Refrain Using Personal Vehicles
The implementation of the Odd-Even Scheme also appears to be on hold. The Supreme Court questioned the effectiveness of the scheme in a recent hearing and will be reviewing the effectiveness of the scheme and issue an order based on it. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Friday with the Delhi government to consider implementing the scheme based on the apex court’s orders. The Odd-Even scheme was set to be implemented between November 13 and November 20.
Also Read: Delhi Transport Department Bans BS3 Petrol And BS4 Diesel Powered Vehicles Until Further Notice
The Delhi Government has also considered the option of cloud seeding to induce rainfall in the NCR region to mitigate the levels of pollution. Pollution levels in Delhi on Wednesday and Thursday morning stood in the ‘severe’ category hovering around or exceeding the 400 mark.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai is also set to sit in a meeting with all ministers to discuss the air pollution issues in the national capital later today.
