Amid debates about how well the odd-even program designed to reduce vehicle emissions, the Delhi administration has told the Supreme Court that it has lessened traffic congestion.

On Thursday, the Delhi administration reported to the Supreme Court that traffic congestion has decreased as a result of its odd-even vehicle emissions reduction policy. The Delhi government’s affidavit was submitted two days after the Supreme Court referred to the odd-even program designed to reduce vehicle emissions in the capital as “optics.”

(To reduce vehicle emissions, the odd-even arrangement permits cars to operate on alternate days based on their odd or even number plates.)

On Friday, the petition concerning air pollution in Delhi is scheduled to be heard by the highest court.

The Delhi government used scientific research to support their claims that the odd-even program designed to reduce vehicle emissions, had a favorable effect, increasing public transportation utilization and reducing fuel consumption by 15%

It added that it has received nearly Rs 14 crore in environmental compensation fees since July of this year.

In response to the court’s questioning about why the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi had not imposed a complete ban on taxis registered outside the city, the government stated that such a ban was not feasible. Restrictions based on fuel kind and quantity, however, might be taken into account.

The Delhi government has postponed the implementation of the odd-even automobile rationing program until the Supreme Court assesses its efficacy in reducing air pollution and gives an order in that regard, according to Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court harshly criticized the Delhi government’s pollution control efforts on Tuesday, including its well-known odd-even car restriction program, as dense smog enveloped the nation’s capital.

This was declared by the Delhi government one day earlier on Monday, in anticipation of additional declines in the quality of the air following Diwali, and four years after the program’s inception.

Although an odd-even program designed to reduce vehicle emissions has been tried in Delhi, has it ever worked? The bench of the Supreme Court had stated, “It’s all optics.”