Odd-even rule and the current administration scenario (a rant)
Amid the global fuel crisis, I found this post showing India's petrol consumption by state for the 2024-25 financial year. Sikkim, being one of the least populous states, is ranked among the lowest for petrol consumption even compared to other North Eastern states. It’s safe to assume the numbers for this year are pretty similar probably within a ±5% margin.
This brings me to the current odd-even rule being implemented here and the hardships it’s causing us, the common people. With rising living standards and increased purchasing power, we buy cars for the comfort and convenience of our families. The sudden and harsh implementation of this rule has impacted our daily lives so significantly that we’re starting to wonder: why are we even doing this? what's the goal here? why only Sikkim has to follow this? why didn't the higher authorities think of any consequences? shouldn't the exemption be kept in place for incremental implementation rather than dropping the whole bomb out of nowhere?
We already knew Sikkim would have one of the lowest fuel consumption rates even without looking at the statistics, especially when you consider population density compared to states like UP or Maharashtra, or major cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, or Delhi. So why are we the only ones bearing the brunt? What was going through the minds of the IAS officers and the so called "advisors" of state government? Do they really believe our contribution will make a dent in India’s total fuel consumption? Unless these mega-cities go 100% virtual with factories and industries shutting down like they did during COVID, I don't think fuel consumption is ever going to go down.
