Transforming Delhi - Pleasant Living Environment for Citizens - 3

Delhi adds about 5,60,000 vehicles an year now; about 2,00,000 are 4-Wh and the rest 2-Wh.

A recent survey by Center for Science and Environment, at the 9 key entry points to Delhi concluded that 3,07,000 cars and 1,27,000 2-Wh enter Delhi daily. These 9 entry points are assumed to constitutes 70% of all entries thru 124 entry points to Delhi. 

But it has not reported on the number of vehicles going out of Delhi, daily.

Similarly, Prof Dinesh Mohan one of the leading experts on logistics and traffic has pointed out that upto 50% of the vehicles registered in Delhi may not actually be on the road or exist.

So where do we begin? Let us first pick "Salvage or Junking ELVs"   

Almost every street in residential areas has few dead vehicles taking up valuable space. Obviously it is not convenient or cost effective for citizens to dispose them off. 

 

The Govt has spelt out Guidelines for End of Life Vehicles Policy, but follow-up is unknown.  Delhi continues to rely on Mayapuri salvage markets to take care of its 'dead vehicles".

The Proposal

The Govt must invite Private parties to set up Junk Yards - 2 in each of the 9 district of Delhi. The land to be leased to the Project.

     a.  Such  junk yards to have good facilities to cannibalize the vehicles and extract usable parts. It             must have a sales counter for old /used parts.

     b. It must have facilities to crush the skeleton and sell steel /metal scraps to melting furnaces.  

     c. The Parties must be allowed a return on investment of 16%-18% p.a. Parties will earn thru sale        of scrap and used parts. The Business Models for Toll Companies are well established.

 

2. NGT has decided that all vehicles older than 15 years be taken -off the roads / junked.

     a. The Insurance companies cannot issue Cover for such vehicle - must advise the RTO, citizen on      the 14th year renewal.  

     b. Citizens to be advised to handover the ELVs to the Yards.

     c. The Terms of Operation and Authorizations to collect, even pick-up old /junked vehicles be            given to the promoters.

3. The Citizens to be incentivized upon handing over the ELV. Yard issues a receipt, that is en-                  cashable at the dealer on purchase of a new vehicle or any suitable arrangement

4. The Yard electronically advises RTO about receipt of ELV, and cancellation of Registration is done     by RTO.

The Govt will benefit by bringing the business into open, which is then taxable. 

The employment will again be formalized leading to better jobs and working conditions.

Few revenue generating activities like : Furniture making and artifacts out of scrap will also be encouraged 

   

The next element in this series of steps would be Parking Solutions 

 

Transform Delhi - A Pleasant Ambience -2

Mankind needs to consume increasing levels of energy to grow. No one can dispute the central role "energy" plays in the growth of Human Civilizations.

Improving efficiency of human effort leads to economic growth which in turn is supposed to make the life of increasing numbers of citizens, shall we say "Pleasant". And the denominator of efficiency is TIME. Lesser time taken to perform an action is efficient, creating space within the 24 hrs for additional activities.

 

May I propose that almost all social infrastructures is created for the purpose of improving efficiency of Human endeavor. Creation of such social infrastructure in a cost –effective manner leads to better output at lower costs. And all politics and indeed corruption is played out in the arena of cost-effective creation of Social Infrastructure

However, throughout history mankind have found ways and means of handling issues impeding its growth. 

Can Delhi do the same in its microcosm? Delhi was a pleasant place to live, work and play in thirty years ago. Can we transform Delhi into a "pleasant city" for its doubled population in, say the next thirty years?

 

Can we find cross-disciplinary solutions that are more than sum of its part?  

Air Pollution in Delhi – 1

There are so many agencies and eminent individuals, working on REDUCING pollution in Delhi. The issue is exercising the minds in Executive, Judiciary, NGOs many specialized agencies.  Even Delhi Police is submitting proposals to the High Court in Delhi !

Vehicular traffic is attacked by almost all, as the most immediate and easiest target to control pollution. And of course there are views, pro and con depending on which side of the political divide one is on, or which part of problem you are focused on, or specialize in.

Besides Vehicular traffic, Gensets, bulldozers & construction equipment (Construction activity itself), Wood burning and Coal burning, let out pollutants, each source having different signature profile of pollutants. Diesel engines produce more NOx than petrol engines since diesel combustion takes place at a higher temp. By the same criteria CNG engines also produce higher NOx.

And the DUST- road and airborne. 

Blind men and the Elephant!

There are a few UNSHAKABLE facts though: 

1. The DUST : Delhi is located in a "dust bowl"being close to a desert. 
2. Delhi registers Half a Million + vehicles every year of which 350,000 are two wheelers. 
3. It is the 2nd largest Conurbation with Population Density of 11,000+ people. 

Land being finite the Population Density will double by 2030.   

4. Delhi is a "flat" urban sprawl, a veritable concrete jungle. DDA colonies and Govt housing were designed with scooter garages. But the residents now have 2 cars. And people fight over parking spaces. 
5. Delhi boasts of 2 Sq Meters green spaces while equally dense conurbations like London and New York 18 times that.  

The miserable environment Delhites currently live in, is not difficult to imagine. 

It is therefore evident that we must target something more fundamental, not just pollution : Creation of an environment in which the Citizens can live and grow in a pleasant manner.