The Delhi Government has decided to solicit public opinion on implementation of the proposed second phase of the odd-even car-rationing scheme to curb pollution by directly reaching out to at least 10 lakh residents through “automated calls”, supplementing a phone line and email address that are already in force.
The move came a day before ‘Jan Sabhas’, organised by the ruling AAP MlAs, are to begin across the city, which will be held on Saturday and Sunday seeking people’s suggestions on the implementation of second phase of the scheme.
“Elected MlAs will on Saturday begin a two-day exercise to ascertain the views of the public on whether odd-even plan for vehicles should be brought back on the roads of the national Capital. The Delhi Government had decided to conduct a two-day exercise on February 6-7 and concerned SDMs and MlAs were directed to coordinate the exercise in their respective constituencies,” said a statement issued by the Government.
Starting Friday, the calls have started being made through Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology, used by telecom companies among others, and are giving people a number of options on the proposed measure to choose from.
The Government has already opened a dedicated phone line, a website, put up online forms and launched an email address on a six-point questionnaire on the car-rationing measures.
“Over 10,000 online forms have been downloaded in less than a week, more than 8,500 email responses have been submitted and around 45,000 calls made,” a Government official said. The official refused to elaborate whether majority of the responses are in favour of its re-implementation or against, saying a clear trend was yet to emerge.
The first phase of the pilot plan was rolled out on January 1 and it stayed in force for 15 days.