BringBackOddEven hashtag trended on Twitter as thousands of commuters were left stranded on Delhi roads on the first Monday after odd-even scheme ended on January 15. Heavy traffic returned to haunt the city as severe snarls were witnessed at major arterial roads across the national Capital during the morning as well as the evening peak hours.
Bumper-to-bumper traffic was seen in New Delhi region during the morning peak hours, especially around the India Gate C-Hexagon. South Delhi areas, including Chirag Delhi, Vasant Kunj, Chhatarpur, Greater Kailash and the BRT corridor, also witnessed heavy traffic, said a traffic official.
Major roads in North, West and East Delhi were also chock-a-block giving a harrowing time to commuters, as both odd and even numbered private cars returned on the roads.
By the time the situation in New Delhi and South Delhi eased, traffic was thrown out of gear at other areas which include the Dwarka underpass, Khanpur, Panchsheel, Mehrauli-Badarpur road, Sangam Vihar and NH-8, the traffic official said.
Traffic snarls considerably slowed down vehicular movement in Dhaula Kuan, SP Marg, Dwarka, South Extension, laxmi Nagar and roads around the Akshardham temple.
While the situation was a little better in the evening, but peak hours still saw significant peak in traffic, especially if compared to odd-even days. Traffic congestion was reported in Mathura Road, Ashoka Road, Vikas Marg, Ring Road, Aurobindo Marg, Olof Palme Marg, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Barakhamba Road, Panchkuian ROad, Sardar Patel Marg, Mahipalpur, Dwarka Road, Rao Tula Ram Marg and Palam Flyover.
Among other areas which saw severe congestion included Britannia Chowk in North-West Delhi, Uttam Nagar in West Delhi and South Delhi areas like Dhaula Kuan and the stretch till RK Puram.
Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Muktesh Chander said, “Heavy traffic in New Delhi region was caused by the blocking of a particular stretch on Rajpath for full-dress rehearsal for upcoming Republic Day celebrations… In other cases, adequate personnel were deployed to ensure smooth traffic flow as and when we received information about severe congestion.”
In the wake of the road-rationing measures from January 1-15, when private cars bearing odd and even numbered registration plates plied on alternate days, the national Capital saw drastic cuts in traffic volume. The city Government projected this to be the biggest outcome of the vehicular restrictions which they termed a massive success and had also claimed that pollution levels had come down by around 25 per cent.
Meanwhile, a senior IMD official said “westerly” winds blew during the day. “When easterly winds blow, pollution level goes up as they are usually loaded with pollutants… PM 10 level and PM 2.5 will continue to be in the very poor category. Smog may come up due to fall in temperature and subsequent formation of fog due to moisture in the air,” the official said.
Real time PM 2.5 readings of Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s Punjabi Bagh and Mandir Marg stations were 238 and 187 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3) at around 5 PM.
Anand Vihar, as usual, was highly polluted with PM 2.5 recorded at 192 (ug/m3) and PM 10 at 429. The corresponding safe limits are 60 and 100 respectively.
On January 16, the first day after the odd-even scheme ended, severe traffic congestion was witnessed at central Delhi’s Patel Nagar and Shadipur, and south Delhi areas like Dhaula Kuan, the stretch near IIT-Delhi and the entire route from Badarpur border to Ashram Chowk.
According to official data, as many as 10,021 people were challaned for violating the scheme, which stayed in force from 8 AM to 8 PM on weekdays during the first fortnight of the year.
SDMs challaned as many as 5,582 motorists, while around 2,870 people were fined by the Delhi Traffic police for violating the scheme. The Government had stipulated `2,000 penalty under relevant sections of Motor Vehicle Act for each violation.