[rdhawan15]

Originally Posted by sourabhzen

Does it have any impact on our lives?

With due respect to you and your viewpoint, this decision has impacted many lives. Seemingly, it has affected many office-goers and businessmen too. As an affected person, I do have a viewpoint that goes against the lopsided decision taken by an inexperienced Government.

This Government might as well ban every vehicle on the road and return to cycling and carts for reducing pollution !!!

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by rdhawan15

With due respect to you and your viewpoint, this decision has impacted many lives. Seemingly, it has affected many office-goers and businessmen too. As an affected person, I do have a viewpoint that goes against the lopsided decision taken by an inexperienced Government.

This Government might as well ban every vehicle on the road and return to cycling and carts for reducing pollution !!!

I am very scared and hence my viewpoint.

Though I try to live in present but I do not consider 15 days of such trouble can have any impact on my life, of which I believe, has many years left. The immediate effect on office goers (I am one of them) and businessmen can only be a few bucks and that is it.

Talking about inexperience, what all efforts are 'experienced' government made to save you and me from the toxic air?

About cycles and carts - I don't know about the government but Judiciary might do so. And that will be a very good step for Delhi as people then will move out to spoil some other town(s). It will be like garbage landfill sites, fill one and then move to another.

[rdhawan15]

Originally Posted by sourabhzen

The immediate effect on office goers (I am one of them) and businessmen can only be a few bucks and that is it.

By your own admission in a previous post, you mentioned that your cost of commute has gone up from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 3,000 for a week. That is a 200% increase. Think of people travelling to Sector 62 Noida from a West Delhi location or from West Delhi to Cyber City Gurgaon. A 200% increase on that route will mean some serious money that gets transferred from a car owner to a fleet taxi operator (Carpool aggregators) and we are not sure if the taxi in question causes more or less pollution than a privately owned car.

Apart from the money angle, you need to add the time factor and a host of other productivity factors too.

In any case, I think this debate is not going any further if both of us engage in a post-for-post response. Both of us have contrary viewpoints.

Yes, we need pollution to be controlled. And YES, this policy of car rationing is ill-conceived and will not address pollution levels in the city.

I rest my case here because there are many intelligent people who could make and draft policies for everyone's welfare.

[fine69]

I think a couple of folks here are hell bent on simply responding to any and every comment made against this odd-even rule. One bhpian even made a statement that Delhi's parents have stopped educating their kids about the selflessness trait.

Careful guys, we've got some ardent supporters here and no points for figuring out the extent to which they'll go to justify this stupid move. They monitor their carbon footprint so closely that they have all the right to give us these moral lectures. Oh and they don't care even if you are adhering to the odd-even rule, just because you don't like the rule they have the right to question your upbringing also.

Off-topic: Meanwhile let me go ask my parents that why do I ensure that me and my wife seek deduction (10% of both our salaries) under Sector 80G every year since the last 4 years or why do I spend a lot of my weekend nights delivering leftover food from restaurants (who think its an obligation that they are letting you have their food instead of dumping it) to the 100+ folks who live under the Sarai Kale khan flyover or I decide to help accident victims when it ruins my mood, my routine, eats up my time and at times even strips me of money (however involuntarily).

Selflessness doesn't mean taking a crappy public transport because you can. It means a whole lot of other things but with the kind of reasoning power that I see, I don't think it makes an iota of sense to drag this any further.

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by rdhawan15

By your own admission in a previous post, you mentioned that your cost of commute has gone up from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 3,000 for a week. That is a 200% increase. Think of people travelling to Sector 62 Noida from a West Delhi location or from West Delhi to Cyber City Gurgaon. A 200% increase on that route will mean some serious money that gets transferred from a car owner to a fleet taxi operator (Carpool aggregators) and we are not sure if the taxi in question causes more or less pollution than a privately owned car.

Apart from the money angle, you need to add the time factor and a host of other productivity factors too.

In any case, I think this debate is not going any further if both of us engage in a post-for-post response. Both of us have contrary viewpoints.

Yes, we need pollution to be controlled. And YES, this policy of car rationing is ill-conceived and will not address pollution levels in the city.

I rest my case here because there are many intelligent people who could make and draft policies for everyone's welfare.

I travel 40 km to reach office. The expense is up only for these 15 days which can be borne by any car owner

Money is the only angle. I usually take 1.5 hours one way in normal traffic conditions. Today I took 56 minutes to reach office.

Policy might be ill-conceived but I am repeatedly asking everyone about any alternative action that could have been taken. I do not have any and no body else seem to have any either. We are just bothered about our small inconveniences and that's all.

The problem is that the so called intelligent people have not anything till now. At least this ill-conceived policy will force them to act now. And if they don't, God save us.

I agree with you that there is no point in arguing, I am scared and you are not, so we will keep believing in what we do.

@ fine69 : "I don't deny that I am a regular selfish guy. I've worked hard to own a car and no one has the right to tell me to not be selfish."
I responded to this line of yours.

We all have our viewpoints, you think its stupid I think it might not be and we must try. So as you can voice your concern against the move, I have voiced my viewpoints. There was no need to write such an insulting comment.

[Eddy]

Note from Support: Guys, no personal attacks will be allowed. Please keep the discussion respectful, even in disagreement.

[Dry Ice]

On a lighter note, saw this in my twitter feed. Can this finally improve the Nano's numbers?

[djpeesh]

A lot of people have commented that odd even has only reduced congestion and not pollution. This from a US government report: Congestion relief from transit also saves fuel as vehicles stuck in gridlock waste fuel and generate emissions.

http://www.fta.dot.gov/printer_friendly/13835_8514.html

[apachelongbow]

I believe the results of the even odd scheme will be out soon. If it indeed cuts down pollution and particulate matter, then kudos to the thinking, even if not, as discussed by so many others, it has reduced congestion and travel times have decreased, which IMO is a big positive in a mad city like Delhi.
And when complaining about overcrowding in the metro or the public buses, I would want such people to come live in Mumbai for a month. Our local trains are not air conditioned nor our city buses. We battle slums, crowds, high humidity, pollution, dust and are stuck nose to nose like cattle in ancient lumbering coaches of our local trains or hanging out of rattle trap BEST buses. Compared to the horror of commuting in Mumbai, Delhi public transport is first world. The only saving grace in Mumbai is the Arabian sea which sweeps out pollution each evening, and if Mumbai has to follow Delhi in the even odd rule, the city would grind to a halt.

[bluevolt]

Relating to pollution control, this is a good decision by the Government

India to Bypass BS V, Adopt BS VI Norms By April 2020

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/A...07012016008020

[sgiitk]

I think the High Court has called the bluff. Enough of the jokers. Stupid rules, patients can get to the hospital (hopefully) in an emergency, but the doctors cannot (not permitted). If you are forced to make your peace with the maker, so be it. Also, right from Day One after all the claims by the Delhi Govt TERI reported increase in pollution in many places. At best one can say environmental factors dominate all the efforts.

Before going after the commuter, has any action been taken to check and prosecute pumps selling adulterated fuels. The answer is no. This is very low hanging fruit. Maybe somebody is getting a hefty baksheesh! Just look round here, and find the various threads on Reliable fuel bunks in xyz!

Today, I saw a report that the govt has agreed to accept BS-VI from 1.4.20. Now two questions - hopefully no doctoring of Sulfur limits from Euro VI, and what is being done to curb the 'special additives'.

[sunishsamuel]

Update:

Odd/Even plan not working, HC Tells Delhi Government

Link1

Link2

Link3

[chakri400]

Hence proved: private cars do not contribute to Delhi pollution in a big way (although we knew from day 1). How about sanity now: think, plan before implementing.

1. Get experts to understand the top 20% causes for 80% pollution
2. Brainstorm on steps to reduce/eliminate the root causes from step 2
3. Put up a plan (short term, medium term, long term) with defined ownership and timelines
4. Share, inform, listen and get all stakeholders on board by addressing their concerns
5. Identify risks, build mitigation plans and share/inform stakeholders
6. Assign a minister level responsibility to track the implementation project to closure
7. Plan for stabilization and sustaining the reduced pollution levels

[sgiitk]

@chakri400; I think the lowest hanging fruit is the fuel quality at the pump. Next is the HGV specs. A truck doing 100,000km per year is not at all unusual, cars doing more than 20,000 are. Why are HGVs still on BS-II?

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by chakri400

Hence proved: private cars do not contribute to Delhi pollution in a big way (although we knew from day 1). How about sanity now: think, plan before implementing.

1. Get experts to understand the top 20% causes for 80% pollution
2. Brainstorm on steps to reduce/eliminate the root causes from step 2
3. Put up a plan (short term, medium term, long term) with defined ownership and timelines
4. Share, inform, listen and get all stakeholders on board by addressing their concerns
5. Identify risks, build mitigation plans and share/inform stakeholders
6. Assign a minister level responsibility to track the implementation project to closure
7. Plan for stabilization and sustaining the reduced pollution levels

Even better would be defining limits and exorbitant fines on violators and include stringent checks. Vehicle owners should be fined a minimum of 5000 bucks, fraudulent PUC issuers- 50000, construction sites not following dust controlling norms- done percent of project cost, burning leaves/garbage- some hefty amount. Many will fall in line if word spreads that people are actually being penalised.

As sgiitk sir mentioned, HGV specs need serious upgrading.

Whatever it is, the pollution needs to be controlled as son as possible. Our children will have very tough lives otherwise.