As Delhiites continue to follow the Aam Aadmi Party Government’s Odd-Even formula, the commuters are complaining of inconvenience due to poor availability of public transportation. Vidhi Minhas, who is a research scholar, commutes from Moti Bagh to National Institute of Immunology on late evenings. Despite believing it is a good initiative, she said it is affecting people from a security angle since connectivity is not good in Delhi. “No bus goes to where I work and there is no metro station nearby. The place is very secluded and unsafe during night. My brother would drop me but now commuting is a big issue,” Minhas said.
She says the idea has flaws because unless there is better public transport and connectivity, safety will remain ordeal for the commuters.
This apart, the options to commute like autos have increased their charges. Many commuters have felt hard to get autos on time. “Sometimes I even have to beg the auto drivers in order to convince them for a ride. These days getting an auto on metre is a long-forgotten story. They are charging double of the metre,” said Shelja Haq, a Delhi University student.
In order to cut the rising levels of pollution and harmful gases like benzene, the Delhi Government had implemented the Odd-Even scheme under which cars would ply on roads according to their numbers which match the date. On odd dates, cars whose last digit of their number plate ends with an odd number is allowed and on even days, only cars with even numbers are allowed.
The Government has implemented this rule as an experiment for the first 15 days of the new year. While the Government made several arrangements like assigning volunteers to create awareness among commuters to take public transport and motivate them to follow the rule, confusion still persists among people.
“They have told single women drivers can commute but I am confused whether to take my friends along or not. Even my aunt is not being able to take her son who is 14-year-old. He studies in a school where she works but he can’t go in his mother’s car,” said Ankita Anand from Preet Vihar.
There are many single working women who complain of not being able to commute in their cars because they have drivers. Even though the Government has been specific with rules, people have expressed about many issues which the Government has not been able to clarify.