Delhi air pollution: Government bans entry of app-based taxis to the national capital

The Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi Wednesday banned the entry of app-based taxis into the national capital to curb air pollution, reported PTI.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said the entry of app-based taxis into the national capital has been banned and only cabs bearing registration numbers of Delhi will be allowed to ply in the city.

The decision was taken after the Supreme Court asked the Kejriwal government to consider banning app-based taxis in Delhi as a means to control the air pollution in the national capital.

Earlier on November 6, the Delhi government had announced the Odd-Even scheme to tackle the ongoing pollution crisis in the national capital. However, the Supreme Court termed the scheme as “mere optics” without any substantial result. The apex court even questioned the efficacy and success of the scheme. "Have you evaluated how it worked in previous years? Such schemes are only optics," the court was quoted by Bar and Bench as saying.

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"The decision to implement the odd-even scheme will be made only after the Supreme Court reviews its effectiveness and issues an order," PTI quoted Rai as saying.

The minister further said the Delhi government would submit the results of two major studies conducted by the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago and the Delhi Technical University to determine the scheme's effectiveness for review by the Supreme Court. The matter will be next heard on Friday, the minister added.

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Rai also demanded a ban on firecrackers in neighbouring states. The minister said, "I have been continuously appealing to the Center that there should be a joint work. In Delhi, we are continuously implementing the rules of GRAP. But the way our neighbouring governments are sitting silently, I think that after the order of the Supreme Court, meetings will now be held and rules will be implemented... I have been continuously demanding that firecrackers be banned in the states around us. BJP wants to control pollution only by making statements. I think the Supreme Court order regarding the ban on firecrackers will have an impact..."

On Wednesday, the pollution levels of the national capital went back to 'severe' just a day after experiencing a slight improvement in air quality. As per the data by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the Air Quality Index (AQI) was at 398 at 5.18 pm. Currently, Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has been implemented in the national capital after the air quality of the city plummeted to the 'severe plus' category.