Maharashtra rejects court's traffic plan

Easing traffic the Beijing way impractical for Mumbai says government

traffic curbs suggested by the Bombay High Court to reduce congestion in Mumbai has been termed impractical by Maharashtra. On June 10, the court had asked the state to try out a traffic restraint scheme. It entailed private vehicles bearing registration numbers ending in particular digits are kept off the road on certain days of the week.

A similar scheme was successfully implemented in Beijing during the run up to the 2008 Olympics--about 800,000 cars were kept off the road each day of the week. This improved traffic flow and reduced air pollution.

On June 24, state government counsel S K Nair presented to the court an alternative proposal that sought to put curbs on registration of new vehicles (see box). The judges asked the counsel for a commitment on the proposals and the timeframe.Justice Bilal Nazki told the state counsel to submit an affidavit in two weeks. The judges warned the state they would order implementation of the scheme even if the state failed to submit its proposal.