Delhi: Stop choking the future!

Delhi, the Capital of India has begun with a positive note on 2016, the New Year. The Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led state government devised a new strategy for vehicles by launching the controversial odd-even road-rationing scheme. With air pollution choking Delhi, the Kejriwal government has shown political will to cut down the number of cars on the road every day with the new scheme, which seems to be an ambitious one.

Rising levels of air pollution in India is truly worrisome. Children, the elderly and those suffering from any lung-related disorders would be particularly vulnerable on account of the poor quality of air. Dozens of thousands of people are being poisoned each day by the very air they breathe.

As the population grows and more people take to the roadways the prevention of pollution is going to become even more important, or else the future generations are headed for chronic health issues.

It is high time politicians, urban planners and officials realise the need for dedicated infrastructure and inter-connectivity to reduce pollution. If alternative mass transit systems and awareness among the citizens were made available, there would be fewer vehicles on the streets. Surely such air pollution problems would not be solved in such a short span of time as more issues may arise that more innovative methods and technologies could evolve to better tackle pollution.

Other cities in India must be watching this experiment with interest, because many cities are suffering from air pollution and congestion as a result of over population of motorized vehicles. If this plan succeeds, every polluted city may implement it.

Therefore, it should be welcomed and introduced as part of a larger scheme for urban mobility and not just as a panacea for air pollution.

— The writer is a school teacher based in Dubai