This week, Delhi’s government announced a series of pollution-fighting measures for the winter season that routinely records a dangerous drop in air quality.
Starting November, fuel will not be refilled in vehicles without pollution-control certificates all year round, while those with non-Delhi licence plates that don’t comply with Bharat Stage 6 norms won’t be allowed to enter the city till 31 January. Further, offices must operate with only 50% physical attendance till the end of January. Other strictures will apply too.
This proactive approach is expected to help city residents breathe easily. But implementation won’t be easy.
While the rules seem aimed at achieving a balance between liberty and an emergency, they’re an example of excessive policy fine-print. The validity periods for assorted curbs vary, while the vehicular traffic measures are so complex that rule-enforcement could prove messy, even if the police only carry out random checks.
Complexity tends to increase the burden of compliance. If this experiment doesn’t move the needle on air quality much, it should be subject to a cost-benefit analysis, as was done with Delhi’s ‘odd-even’ idea of vehicle-number alternation.