It was in January 2016 that the Odd-Even vehicular rationing scheme was first ambitiously implemented by the Delhi government. Irrespective of the actual results, the scheme has always been hailed by the AAP government which cites it as a major contributor to the reduction in pollution levels in the national capital.
Now, a similar stunt is being attempted by Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan. The Rajasthan Transport Department, beginning from New Year, will observe what it calls ‘No Vehicle Day’ on the first of every month. Accordingly, all employees of the department would be abstaining from the usage of vehicles on the said days. Exceptions have been granted to the physically challenged employees and the checking squads. The order says that all officers and employees working in the Transport Department will observe No Vehicle Day on the first working day of every month and reach their offices as pedestrians and cyclists or through public transport service. The initiative was aimed at ‘promoting a culture of healthy living and encouraging the use of public transport’, Rajasthan’s Transport Minister said who will also follow the same and reach office on a cycle 9 days in 2020.
Yes, that’s right! In 2020, ‘No Vehicle Day’ will be observed only on 9 days, as the other 3 days are either holidays or Sundays. Ridiculous as it may sound, the Congress government of Rajasthan actually wants us to believe that this little shenanigan of theirs will help reduce pollution in the state and create awareness towards the usage of public transportation systems.
This is not a goldenslot inch more than an effort to fool the people into believing that the pompous government and bureaucracy of the state is ‘environment-friendly’. It also is nothing more than a plagiarized concept, taken from the wise books of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Kejriwal too has been religiously advocating the ineffective odd-even scheme. A few days after it was last launched in November this year, the Delhi government claimed that there had been a significant drop in the pollution levels of Delhi, while it was actually strong winds and increased precipitation which had caused the dip. The Kejriwal government was also lambasted by the Supreme Court, which said that the odd-even scheme was a “half-baked solution” to the severe pollution level in the national capital as it is not effective in reducing pollution.
Similarly, to be seen to be on the front-foot in fighting pollution, Gehlot too has rolled out this silly concept of no vehicle day.
While almost no government is doing its bit in curbing pollution across the country, for some states to make a joke out of the fight against pollution is grossly insensitive and a slap on the faces of the people, who are thought to be passive consumers of whatever rhetoric will be thrown at them. It is about time that politicians and bureaucrats stop making a fool out of themselves and actually work, effectively, towards solving the growing menace of pollution.