Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s odds-and-evens plan, to cut the number of cars in the capital and reduce pollution, comes into play today. The experiment will be tried for 15 days after which a review is scheduled. No one knows how it will pan out, but Kejriwal has received a pat on the back for doing something about pollution while others only talked. There is an air of optimism and many hope it will work and eventually become the blueprint for other cities to curb pollution and congestion. A heavy fine of Rs 2,000 has been imposed, but the key to success lies in providing public transport to those who cannot bring out their cars. The first day could be chaotic, but traffic managers and the government will eventually learn. Delhi needs to give the odds-and-evens plan a chance and the rest of India needs to learn.
