Even as the first day of odd-even phase II saw a huge surge in number of booked violations compared to the first day of oddd-even phase I in January, the excuses given by the violators have not changed much. From claiming a medical emergency or ignorance of the scheme to threatening the traffic cops by name dropping, the excuses often get as weird as demanding a rose instead of a challan.
A traffic offender caught at the ITO intersection with an even-numbered Uttar Pradesh number-plate vehilce on Friday (April 15, an odd-date) claimed no knowledge of penalty for violating the rule.
"I don't think Arvind Kejriwal has proposed a challan of Rs2,000 for violation of odd even rule. As far as I know, those who drive an even-numbered car on an odd date, or vice versa, are supposed to be given a rose, and not be challaned. There is no mention of such a penalty in the advertisements issued by the Government," he said.
However, he eventually paid the challan after a long argument.
In stark comparison to the first day of phase I when only 138 offenders were challaned, over 500 offenders had been challaned by the Delhi Traffic Police for violating the odd-even rule only till 1 am on Friday. The highest number of challans (129) were reported from South Delhi, closely followed by the Western Delhi (108) till 1 pm. Total 1,311 challans were issued. Of which 884 were issued by the traffic police and 427 by enforcement wing of the Transport Department.
However, sources said it was because the Delhi Police took it easy on violators in the initial days of the first phase when it only issued warnings and tried to educate the drivers about the scheme. But this time, the traffic police has decided to strictly enforce the scheme from day one as people are already aware and are familiar with it.
A traffic constable posted at ITO intersection said while the traffic police are taking all measures to enforce the odd-even scheme, but it is no simple feat.
"Most of the offenders refuse to accept their mistake and pay the challan. We have to listen to their excuses, hear out their pleading requests and often listen to their threats. Then we have to convince them that they cannot leave without paying the challan. And after long arguments, which can often stretch to more than half an hour, they end up paying the challan," said the constable.
Another constable elaborated on the kinds of excuses that commuters made on Friday.
"The most common excuse-cum-threat that we hear is that they are from some media channel or from the bar association and challaning them will lead us into trouble. Another excuse is that they don't know about the odd-even scheme or that they don't know about the penalty. Many offenders said the first few days are just a trial and they are not bound to pay the challan, but should be politely given roses and let off. How, and from where, can we get so many rosesIJ" he asked.
He further added that many offenders also claim that they don't have Rs 2,000 to pay the challan. "But the interesting thing is that after wasting half an hour, or an hour, trying to get out of it without paying the fine, they suddenly find the money in their wallets," he said.
On the other hand, some offenders have no qualms about paying the challan of Rs 2,000 and be on their way as quickly as possible. Two youth in a Mercedes, who were stopped by the traffic police for driving an even-numbered car on an odd date, simply asked the constable to make it quick and issue the challan as their friends are waiting and they don't want to be late.
A traffic official said while the number of even-numbered cars were quite low on Friday allowing them to spend time convincing the offending drivers, but the challenge will be much more on Monday, the first working day during the odd-even scheme after a long weekend.