re: Delhi: Odd & Even numbered cars to drive on alternate days*Edit: website launched for feedback* I've been keeping quiet thus far hoping against hope that this would not be as harebrained as I feared it to be. However, the powers that be must never be underestimated in their ability to cause the maximum inconvenience to the common man.
1. The absolute non-availability of public transport-Till a while ago, there used to be a direct bus from a bus stop near my house to central delhi. However, for some strange reason DTC decided to stop plying this route. So I have to take a bus, I must change no less than 4 buses to reach central delhi. In fact from the West side of Hazrat Nizamuddin (one of Delhi's largest railway stations there is not a single bus to anywhere)
As regards DMRC, its already running at full capacity and during the morning rush hour is no less crowded than the Mumbai locals. So I must put up with being crushed every morning, because instead of augmenting public transport, the powers that would rather relay perfectly fine medians and dig up freshly laid roads or lay those plastic speed breakers that keep vanishing, or, even better buy extremely expensive radio slots to sing their own paeans.
2. Highly defective road engineering-Ashram, South-Extension, Yusuf Sarai, Mubarka Chowk, Dhaula Kuan, Chattarpur-Andheria Mor; I go could simply go on and on about how absolutely idiotic road planning causes a sudden narrowing of the right of way leading to absolute chaos. Instead of improving traffic flow, the powers that be are instead going to simply prevent vehicles from plying. Let's not forget the BRT corridor that forces vehicles to crawl spewing fumes and instead of helping public cause has successfully reduced the speed of ALL vehicles to a snail pace.
3. Absolute lack of data on who is causing the pollution-Let's go to the meat of the matter. I can't seem to find a single study (and please don't cite the Center for Environment study-its neutrality is extremely questionable) that states that "private cars" are the single largest contributors to pollution. In descending order of contributors in my opinon-
-crop burning in neighboring agrarian states that drifts over to Delhi every single year
-hopelessly overloaded, ill maintained heavy commercial vehicles; because in the past 20 or so years no one built a bye-pass to Delhi, and that one route that exists has a prohibitively expensive toll structure. So these trucks going to all four corners of the country, enter the city, crawl through spewing noxious diesel fumes bad enough to clog up air filters, forget my lungs. No one is willing to take action against them, because truckers have clout. The imposition of the pollution tax is a joke. I mean a leading check-post operator in Delhi claims to collect Rs. 6 Cr. a day as pollution tax, but who is accounting, where is the system to ensure that the money collected is spent in providing cleaner fuels and highly efficient public transportation systems.
-the numerous waste to energy plants that exist-anyone going to Jasola/Bawana will notice white flecks floating around in the air, because the damn plants incinerate plastic, which genius thought of this one??
-Rajghat and Badarpur Thermal stations-Coal Burning plants the former smack in the middle of the city and the other so strategically placed that the entire emission discharge settles over deoli to vasant kunj (wind rose study anyone).
4. The exemption list-Why O' Why should politicians be exempt? Do their convoy's emit mountain air perchance? Sure exempt the PM and the President, but what is the logic behind the others? So while people with one car can travel like sardines or take a walk, Mr. VIP can run around the roads in twenty cars convoys-SHEER GENIUS.
Thankfully, they have exempted single women or women in groups or with children.
Again they have exempted two wheeler s-gee! let me get my 25 year old two stroke white smoke belching Chetak out of retirement, you can only exempt two wheelers if and only if they have valid PUC's (which is a joke in itself) and if not impound them, but this free hand to two-wheeler's is absurd.
5. Absolute lack of enforcement-where was the administration when diesel powered Ola's and Uber, Call Center Taxis, Light Commercial Vehicles (like Vikram) were taking over the streets of Delhi-despite the need for all public service vehicles to be CNG powered? Sleeping of-course.
-The PUC scam-cars are supposed to undergo testing every three months, but what about vehicles which fail the test-simple just keep running them and that one day when the cops catch you, pull out your Gandhi's, flash a smile and hey presto Bob's your Uncle. This the scenario for private vehicles, as regards commercial vehicles-has anyone been to the Burari Vehicle fitness centre? Its one of the biggest jokes ever, I know numerous auto/taxi/tempo and 407 owners who wouldnt be able to place the centre on a map, thanks to "agents" that "assist" in passing vehicles without even such vehicles actually visiting the centre.
6. The repeated postponement of imposition of BS-V and VI standards and telling OMC's to start providing cleaner fuels. Of course let the car manufacturers of the hook (because better pollution norms will cause fires don't you know).
7. Colossal failure of the pilot project-the no car rule was sought to be implemented at Vikas Marg on 22nd December, does any one know the result, I do, the AQI for that are remained the same, instead what it did ensure was that cars snaked through narrow bye-lanes and colony roads and everything from ITO to Geeta Colony resembled a parking lot, while the supposedly car free stretch was overrun with two wheelers, autos trucks and buses and what not.
My post could be construed as a rant, but my frustration stems from the fact that the administration is indulging in big-showy gestures and targeting the easiest demographic of them all. The problem might be private cars who knows, but first fix all of the above and if despite that you have trouble then target private cars.
Last edited by shady_lawyer : 24th December 2015 at 19:35.
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