No one’s alive anymore to tell the tale, but Julius Caesar is rumored to have first employed road space rationing in Rome around 45 BC, due the congestion caused by chariots. More than two thousand years later, Delhi has decided to use the same method to reduce air pollution that has hampered life in the city over the past few years, especially this year. The proposal is to restrict access to the roads on alternate days for cars with odd and even number registrations.
Unsurprisingly, there has been a lot of outrage from various corners of Delhi “ with the bourgeoisie and others, for different reasons. While the basic fundamentals of road space rationing are certainly grounded, the proposal to implement this in Delhi is a knee jerk reaction of sorts, but not an idea that needs to be ruled out completely.
The decision to implement road space rationing has been taken by the AAP government, who are currently in power in Delhi. But, there are logistical problems that they will face when they come up against the Centre. The police in Delhi are controlled by the Central government and not the Delhi government. They were not consulted and now face a big problem, that of controlling an already out-of-control vehicular population with a squad that is quite possibly short-staffed. The police not only have to manage VIP movements in the country’s capital but also now work on enforcing these new rules that will take months to seep into the social consciousness of the city’s population. This is not the only problem. In fact, policing the drastic change in vehicular movement is actually not the biggest issue facing the Delhi government, it’s dealing with a host of complications that will emerge if this proposal becomes a reality.
Road space rationing is not a new concept, obviously. In the modern age, it was first introduced (according to official records) in Athena around 1982. Bogota in Colombia, Mexico City, Sao Paulo in Brazil, London and other cities introduced it over the year. They all had teething problems that have now been ironed out. In London, using a car with an even number registration on a day for odd numbers now attracts a charge that must be paid within 24 hours. The cameras around the city detect these cars and send the bill to the owners registered email accounts. Of course, London and the other cities have years and decades to fine tune their policies. Perhaps Delhi needs to take all this into consideration and adapt their working modules, which have possibly looked at all permutations.
There is also the issue of the rich now buying more cars with odd and even registrations to counteract the road space rationing rule. It’s not against the law but it will negate what the Delhi government is attempting to do. But, what happens to the bourgeoisie? Most travel by metro, taxis and rickshaws, apart from the shaky mass transit system. Women will be concerned over the issue of their safety too, as travel not just after dark but at odd hours has proven to be a problem.
If the idea is the reduce pollution then the Delhi government is going in the right direction. But, you cannot assume to take out one option and not have other functional options for the people you serve.
