Who would’ve thought that people of Delhi would actually miss the days of the odd-even schemeIJ For the last 15 days Delhi was following a simple rule: Even-numbered cars to ply on even days and odd-numbered on odd days.
Around 90 per cent of Delhiites gave it a chance and abided by the rule. Many got used to driving on vast, empty stretches of roads and this, in fact, is one of the major reasons why Delhiites might miss the policy.
Traffic snarls were witnessed on Sunday. What left commuters miffed was that the situation existed on a weekend when fewer vehicles are expected on the roads.
It must be noted that with the first three days of the scheme falling on an extended weekend, the first Monday of the year was being touted as the litmus test for the ambitious odd-even scheme. The scheme ended on a Friday as well, followed by the weekend. Various experts and traffic officials had already warned that there would be a significant rise in volume of traffic on Monday.
AAP Government’s odd-even scheme, aimed at curbing pollution, had significantly reduced traffic congestion across Delhi. Many people claimed of their travel time being reduced by half during the 15 days when it was implemented.
Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Dr Muktesh Chander said, “There was self discipline on the part of people. Good publicity was given to the programme as well. The Rs2,000 fine deterred possible violators and its enforcement was strict.”
However, the day after the scheme ended, Saturday saw complete gridlock in most parts of the city. In fact, Sunday also witnessed heavy traffic at the Ring Road, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Netaji Subhash Marg, Bhairon Marg, parts of Mathura Road, Mahatma Gandhi Marg and Aurobindo Marg.
It is noteworthy that even the Sunday falling after a week of the implementation of the scheme (January 10) saw severe traffic jams across the city with people coming out in numbers to enjoy the relaxation from odd-even restrictions. Perhaps the same was responsible for gridlocked roads in the city following the weekend after the end of the pilot experiment as well.
The odd-even scheme was applicable on all days except Sundays between January 1 and 15. Under the scheme, vehicles with even numbers could ply on the roads on even dates and vice versa. The violators were slapped with a fine of Rs2,000.
Over 10,000 violators were challaned for violating the scheme raising revenue of over Rs2 crore. While 2,897 challans were issued by Delhi Traffic Police, 5,582 were issued by Divisional Commissioners and 1,574 by enforcement teams of Transport Department. Apart from that, 3,089 auto rickshaws were also challaned for refusing duty or over-charging.
The revenue collected from prosecution of odd-even scheme offenders will be used to subsidise bicycles and promote cycling as a mode of transport, Delhi Transport Minister Gopal had earlier said.
Meanwhile, according to a survey done on the response to odd-even scheme, 54 per cent of over 12,500 people polled wanted it to continue while 21 per cent voted against it.
The Delhi Government is expected to hold a meeting on Monday to review the outcome of the odd-even formula and take further action. It is anticipated that the Delhi Government may plan a comeback of the odd-even scheme at a later date.