It’s going to be about a week since the provisions under Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) level 4 were implemented for the second time by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) as air pollution level moved into the 400 plus category.
This meant that among other things the lawmakers feel that diesel vehicles used by common people and diesel generators providing power when government supplies fail are the main culprits for the poor air quality.
However, even after acting against these ‘villains’, and also taken punitive action against those who dared to come out for a week now, the air quality has got only worse. The weather department says that the air quality would remain bad until the wind again gains speed or it rains.
During the first 15 days of December this year, when the CAQM was taking credit and releasing statements about Delhi’s air quality being the best in the last six years, it should have acknowledged that the improvement was largely due to natural factors such as high wind speeds and a western disturbance.
The reality is that Delhi remains at the mercy of nature, as even the strictest norms fail to deliver lasting results. It is time to shift focus to long-term solutions rather than relying on temporary measures. One critical area of improvement is the need to strengthen—or rather, revitalize—our public transport system, which currently lies in complete disarray
According to the Economic survey of the state government 2023-24, Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses have continued to witness a decline in ridership, struggling to return to pre-COVID levels.
The current daily average of 25 lakh passengers represents a 45 per cent drop over the past decade, far below the 46.77 lakh recorded during 2012-13. Ridership hit its lowest during the pandemic, plummeting to 12.24 lakh daily, and remains 25 per cent below pre-pandemic numbers.
DTC’s fleet currently stands at 7,683 buses, including 1,970 electric buses, far below the 10,000-bus target set by a 26-year-old Supreme Court directive. Of these, electric buses have been provided by the Centre and the Arvind Kejriwal-Atishi governments have not added a single bus to the fleet.
The old rickety CNG buses, which make up most of the DTC fleet, face frequent breakdowns. These buses should have been replaced after eight years, given the rough conditions they operate in but that did not happen in the past decade.
The consequences of declining bus ridership contribute in a big way to Delhi’s severe winter air pollution. The ill effects of lack of confidence in bus service are visible beyond commuter inconvenience. Reports from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) highlight the link between fewer public transport users and increased reliance on private vehicles, which increases congestion and adds pollutants in the air worsening its quality.
The delay in the completion of the Metro projects has contributed in a big way to winter pollution. An IIT-Delhi report highlights that Metro ridership, despite increase in the past years, still falls 47.45 per cent short of its projected targets.
According to the data released by IIT-Delhi and the National Institute of Urban Affairs, the dying DTC fleet and delay in the Metro projects have led to an increase in the share of two-wheelers and four-wheelers from 38 to 49 per between 2007 to 2018. Although Delhi boasts an extensive bus network, with 57 per cent of the population living within a five-minute walk of a bus stop, the service’s inefficiency deters potential users, the report said.
The issue at hand is whether the authorities responsible for controlling pollution barking up the wrong tree. The banning of private vehicles on Delhi roads have shown no improvement in air quality. What has added to their misery is the lack of alternative transport arrangements. Are the government and the courts not penalising the people for the crime they have not committed.
Sidharth Mishra
Author and president, Centre for Reforms, Development & Justice