The second phase of odd-even scheme began on a positive note as fewer private cars were seen on Delhi roads on the first day on Friday. Being a holiday due to Ramnavami and followed by a weekend, the traffic volume was expected to be low for three days and the real test of the scheme will be on Monday when schools and offices will open.
Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai Rai — who took full circle bus ride from Delhi Secretariat, via Pragati Maidan, India Gate, Delhi Gate, Red Fort and Rajghat to assess implementation of the scheme — expressed satisfaction on the public response to the ambitious car-rationing formula on the first day.
“I have reports from all over Delhi that people are following the scheme,” he said.
While claiming the overall response has been positive, the Transport Minister added that some complaints were received from border areas where drivers from other States were caught for violation.
However, number of offenders, who were challaned for violating the odd-even rule, was much higher this time than that of first phase. A total of 1,311 offenders — 884 caught by the traffic police and 427 by enforcement wing of the Transport Department — were challaned as against 138 challans on the first day of odd-even phase-1.
Meanwhile, major snags on Delhi Metro’s Red line, that connects Dilshad Garden to Rithala, threw services out of gear for over five hours leaving thousands of passengers stranded across the 23-km-long corridor on the first day of odd-even scheme’s second phase.
Earlier in the morning, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to people to join hands to make the initiative a success.
Commuters from across Delhi, barring a few, expressed happiness over the comeback of the scheme. Radhika Verma, a resident of Old Delhi, said that it was only during the odd-even scheme that she enjoyed driving on the Delhi roads. “The last time in January when the first phase of odd-even scheme was on, I enjoyed driving so much,” she said.
A commuter from Model Town, who travels by public transport, also welcomed the scheme.
“I am not so sure about the effects on pollution, but I am a direct beneficiary of this scheme as far as congestion is concerned. Normally, it takes me an hour to reach workplace as the bus I travels gets stuck in traffic near Kashmere Gate ISBT for over half an hour. But today, I reached my office in barely 20 minutes,” he said.
Talking about the confusion over male parents going to drop and pick up their children from schools, Rai appealed to them to drop their children to school and return before the scheme starts at 8 am.
He also urged women drivers to help and drop back other children in their neighbourhood from school while picking their own children.
Rai said, “In over 85 per cent of cases, it’s the mother who picks up the children from school. Since they are exempted, they can also help other children who live in the same neighbourhood.”
The first edition of the scheme had also kicked off on Friday, a holiday being the New Years Day followed by a weekend. Even at that time, most critics as well as the supporters of the scheme had said that the real test for Odd-Even formula would be on Monday, January 4.
This time however, challenge will be much bigger as schools will also be open which were closed down for the first trial of the odd-even scheme.