Imprison 11% to get votes from the rest. Very cost effective.

Like a recurring nightmare car rationing, known as the odd-even scheme, will again be imposed on us by the Chief Minister from 15 April, for 15 days. The complete lack of any logic in putting us under house arrest for over seven days, when we will not be able to drive for fear of fines of Rs 2000, is mind boggling. If it is to reduce pollution it should be permanent. What is the point in inconveniencing us for 15 days when the experiment in January did not decrease pollution at all. Apparently surveys conducted by Delhi government has shown that 78% of people want the scheme back, which is being touted as overwhelming support. Is it? Only 10.79% of people in Delhi drive to work in a car, jeep or van. Which means: 1. That 89% of people do not own cars and 2. At least 89% should have supported the scheme. As for 92% saying that they will not buy a second car it merely means that some people either cannot afford to run a second car, or that they use an alternative means of transport, such as a motorbike, which is not banned. However, politicians, especially those with fascist tendencies, are not restricted by facts. Such form of car rationing has been tried in other cities with varied success. It failed miserably in Mexico city and Bogota, both poor countries like India. It succeeded in Paris because it was for only one day and Paris has about one-tenth the number of cars as Delhi. It worked in Beijing because the people are terrified of the government, like we are of this fascist one, because only 20% of vehicles are restricted because and the government gave cash incentives to the people. But if it was so successful why did the Chinese government issue a red alert in December, advising people to avoid outdoor activities? Pollution is blamed for respiratory illnesses in Delhi. If so how do they explain rising incidence of asthma in the US, especially among children? Surely, pollution maybe one factor but allergy is also a very big factor. Alarmed by the rising incidence of allergic and autoimmune diseases enormous research has been carried out in the west and one hypothesis has blamed excessive cleanliness for these conditions. What do studies in India show? Pollution is not being caused by cars and trucks but by brick kilns around Delhi, by wood smoke and by power plants. The study also suggests that Delhi may actually have half the number of cars than thought because registration numbers are not scrapped when cars are trashed.  But fascists are not bothered with facts. The Chief Minister is no fool. He is prepared to torture 11% of the population that own cars to get brownie points from the remaining 89%, which may translate to votes. Surely, journalists should be campaigning against this barbaric imposition? They only recycle the what western people say, as when the wife of a New York Times journalist was crying her eyes out because her son was getting asthma in Delhi. Aw! Let us hope that her son does not get shot in the great US of A, or worse, carry a gun to school, as is common there. Western contempt and a fascist chief minister. Great.