Indian TV channels are completely occupied by the cloud burst announcement of Kejriwal led Delhi government on combating pollution. A dictat is issued, the citizen can take their cars only on the government approved dates. The dictat is baptized as the "Odd-Even" Delhi driving policy by the media. The publicity hungry Chief Minister is delighted with the kind of media coverage he is getting. Arvind Kejriwal himself and his party men are hopping TV studios claiming the thought leadership that they have offered in solving the health concerns of Delhites because of pollution. For the media, it is a gift by Kejriwal as they were struggling to glue the sensation seeking viewers after the dismal failure of the Intollerance news bite. The permanent panel members, most of them pretend to be experts in everything under the sky are also busy peeling the beans.
The question which in the public mind and not debated is the root cause for Pollution in Delhi and who is perpetuating it. Is cars, which will be the subject of the odd-even dictat the problem? Is trucks coming to Delhi the problem? Is auto rickshaws that run with petrol adulterated with kerosene the problem? Is burning of waste the problem? Is the thermal power plants emitting smoke the problem? No, none of these are the root cause for Delhi's pollution. Most middle class car owners do not drive their vehicles to office everyday. They either take public or chartered buses or train. Then what is the real root cause for Delhi's pollution?
The first real problem for Delhi's pollution is population. Delhi population is growing uncontrollably. Delhi's environment balance is abused by the growing population beyond repair. Why is the population in Delhi growing beyond the normal limit? Here comes the second real problem, faulty government policy. The over centralization of power with the central government post independence and the need to lobby with government machinery to get anything done forced people and business to locate in and around Delhi. Most businesses established their offices in Delhi. Politicians once elected to parliament never returned to their constituency after their term. Income of people in Delhi increased which generated job for skilled and unskilled labor. This labor came from far off places and established temporary settlements. Construction activity increased and more concrete structures replaced the green belt. Real estate boomed. Black money thrived. Purchasing power increased which added more automobiles on the roads. Sale of automobile was promoted without even considering parking places, not to speak of good roads. All these happened under the watch of the same politicians.
In the given circumstances, will restricting vehicles on the road any solution? No, the policy announced by Kejriwal government is fundamentally flawed. People are going to feel this as an infringement on their movement and will find ways to circumvent it. New agencies will mushroom who will facilitate violation of the restrictions with immunity like any other license raj. So what can help any city, Delhi in particular, from challenges like growing populations and resulting issues like pollution? The politicians and policy planners must be visionary and think ahead. Here are some suggestions:
1. Decentralize the government. Keep only skeletal staff of critical ministries in Delhi. Move others to smaller cities across the country. This will generate employment across the country and less incentive for job seekers coming to Delhi and big cities. This will also automatically reduce incentive for businesses to locate in Delhi. Moving to smaller cities will be less expensive and save lot of money.
2. Ensure politicians who are not current members of parliament return to their constituencies and encourage them to be with the people they represent.
3. Make owing personal vehicles more expensive by mandating private parking space for every vehicle owned.
4. Make vehicle owners to pay for parking. Introduce metered parking spots on road side.
5. Remove subsidy on kerosine to avoid adulteration of petrol
6. Remove subsidy on diesel.
7. Improve public transportation
Mohan
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