Odd-even will kick in if PM2.5 level crosses the "severe" mark of 300 micrograms per cubic metre (g/m³) or PM10 level crosses 500g/m³, and persists for 48 hours.

The two previous instances of such a scheme being implemented were both by the Delhi government in 2016, with mixed results.

With this year's winter already halfway through, it is expected the scheme won't come into effect until next winter, by when, Noida should be better placed to tackle the situation with several Metro corridors scheduled for inauguration. But there's no silver lining in sight for Gurgaon, the worst affected by pollution among all NCR cities this winter and also the city with the worst public transport infrastructure.

Neither the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) nor residents feel implementing an odd-even scheme in the city is a good idea. HSPCB officials have expressed that other measures, such as phasing out of diesel autos, could be more significant. "Phasing out of diesel autos or their regular monitoring would be more beneficial, as these are the primary source of air pollution in the city," said an HSPCB official.

Residents too are wary about the scheme's implementation. "Odd-even in Delhi made many people switch to carpools or other means of transport. It was successful because it was implemented very well by Delhi authorities. But I don't think it's possible in Gurgaon as the city has no public transport," said Sector 55 resident Satyendra Bajaj, who travels regularly from his office in Cyber City to Sector 55.

His fears are borne out by the numbers. There are over 7 lakhs cars that travel on Gurgaon's roads every day, though only around 3.2 lakh (including 32,772 CNG cars) are registered in the city. To implement odd-even in Gurgaon, authorities will have to make extensive arrangements in terms of manpower and enforcement, as well as public transport. If one is to take a half of the 3.2 lakh cars out of the equation, it saddles the public transport system with at least 1.6 lakh extra passengers, if only one person per car is factored in. The real number could well be double or more. Around 1.5 lakh people travel on DMRC's Yellow line between SamaypurBadli and Huda City Centre . This will multiply manifold when the scheme is implemented. And it will have a cascading effect elsewhere. With only 34,000 autos, 500 bike taxis, 400 e-rickshaws and 62 city buses to cater to people who will be without a car on the odd-even days, chaos will spill over from Metro stations to bus and auto stops.

GarimaBhateja, who lives on Sohna Road and drives to her MG Road office, put it succinctly: "Rapid Metro doesn't even cover 4km. City buses are rarely seen on roads, leaving us with only autos and taxis as options, both of which are costly and prone to over-charging. On top of this, diesel autos are highly polluting. I think it will take another 10 years for Gurgaon to have Delhi-like public transport. Thus, odd-even is not possible here."

Even if the authorities were to ignore commuter's problems, there aren't enough traffic cops in Gurgaon to manage the expected chaos outside Metro stations, or manage the borders and challan odd-even violators. Gurgaon has only 352 traffic cops, though around 350 additional cops are expected to join the department next month. But only 600 will be on duty on any given day, and even 700 traffic cops are not enough to implement the scheme. "We'll face acute staff shortage if odd-even is implemented, because we'll need to put up check posts in the city and the district. Each post needs at least three challan officers and six other traffic cops. With even a minimum number ofcheck posts, we'll need at least 1,200 cops," said Joint CP SibashKabiraj.

Deputy commissioner Hardeep Singh told TOI, "No plan has been chalked out for this. The scheme will be executed as per instructions of the state transport department. We will follow their instructions." But state transport commissioner SuprabhaDahiya passed the buck on the district administration. "It's for the district administration to issue orders and manage odd-even, based on local conditions. We have no role in it. If they require our help, we'll give that," she said.