The fourth car-free day will be organised on January 22 between Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station and Chhatrasal Stadium intersection, Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai said on Thursday. He added that while Ministers, officers and traders took the leading role in the first three car-free days, it'll be Delhi University students and professors who will lead from the front this time around.
Interestingly, the Delhi Government had earlier announced to have a city-wide car-free day on January 22. But caught up with odd-even implementation, the Government seems to have shelved that idea for now.
Rai held a preparatory meeting on Thursday with the stakeholders including Delhi Traffic Police, Transport Department, Delhi Metro, Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and the MlAs of constituencies where the designated car-free stretch falls.
"like last three times, this time also the car-free day will be kicked off with a cycle rally. It will start at 8 am from Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station at 8 am and will go on till Chhatrasal Stadium red light from where it will return and will end at its starting point," Rai said.
The six-kilometre stretch will be car-free from 8 am to 4 pm. The route plan for traffic diversions will be charted out by the traffic police in a couple of days, said Rai.
It must be noted that on November 22 last year while participating in the second car-free day in Dwarka, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced that the event to be held on January 22 will be held across the national Capital and he would also cycle to his office that day.
"The Government was to hold car-free day across Delhi, but due to implementation of odd-even scheme, we had to defer it," Rai added.
Rai added that the Government wishes to come up with a preliminary blueprint of the plan to promote cycling as a mode of transport on January 22 as well. "We know that there is little time. But we are trying our best and we intend to announce the preliminary plan on car-free day," he said.
Rai added that in a bid to find an alternative to CNG, the Delhi Government is mulling introducing buses running on biogas and electricity generated from the city's sewage treatment plants as part of the pilot project.