Odd-even move to avoid media glare on MLAs' salary hike: Congress

NEW DELHI: Congress today raised questions over the Kejriwal government's preparedness to implement the odd-even scheme from Friday, asking whether it was an "off-the-cuff decision" to avoid media attention from the 400 per cent salary hike of Delhi MLAs.

"The Delhi government has decided to try the even-odd formula for cars for 15 days. We want to ask whether it was a well-thought out decision or it was just an off-the-cuff decision taken to avoid media attention on the 400 per cent salary hike of Delhi MLAs," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters at the AICC briefing.

Posing a number of questions before the AAP government of Delhi and the NDA dispensation at the Centre, he said, "We want to ask have you ensured sufficient number of parkings for government and private or have they left them to the mercy of neighbours? Have you looked at what are the indices of pollution? There are many other factors for air pollution other than vehicular pollution."

He said that unpaved pavements on the roads is also a factor for pollution as well the width of road areas in which both governments can act.

Sharing the dais with him, former Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said, "Pollution will not be over by taking diesel-run vehicles off the road. This has been the experience abroad as well."

He suggested measures like providing incentives to consumers for changing old vehicles.

Starting January 1, the odd and even car number formula will be applied here on a trial basis for 15 days with an aim to curb pollution in the national capital.