After a one-day break on Sunday from the odd-even formula, Delhi prepares for the actual test for the 15-day trial on Monday, when most of the Delhiites are expected to resume work after a long weekend.
Transport Minister Gopal Rai on Sunday claimed that elaborate arrangements have been made to meet the real challenge. He said that to ensure compliance, volunteers will be using hidden cameras to take snaps of violators and additional police force would be deployed.
“All the skeptics who are dreaming of the failure of the odd-even formula are threatening us with ‘Monday’. They are saying let Monday come and we will all know if odd-even formula is practical or not. I appeal to all Delhiites that the success that we have achieved so far has been to your credit. And on Monday as well, it is in your hands to make us successful,” Rai said.
listing the measures, Rai said city buses are ready to carry 33 per cent extra passengers and Delhi Metro 20 per cent more passengers than usual.
“DTC, which normally ferries about 48 lakh passengers daily, will put more buses on roads to cater to about 64 lakh passengers. We have also formed four squads of 25 buses each that will be deployed in four zones. Based on footfall on any route, these buses will be immediately pressed into service. Similarly, the Metro normally carries 26 lakh passengers.
But on Monday, it will run to its full capacity with a potential to carry 32 lakh passengers,” said Rai.
Alleging that many people want to fail the odd-even scheme, Rai claimed that some rowdy elements are being called to Delhi from Meerut and Haryana. “It indicates that some people who are now threatened by the success of this experiment can go to this level to fail it. I have talked to the representative of police and will also talk to Police Commissioner Bassi asking him to deploy local police along with traffic police to keep a check on such rowdy elements,” Rai said.
However, amidst a terror alert in the city and the preparations for the Republic Day also at hand, the security forces in Delhi are expected to be stretched to their limit.
It must be noted that after the terror attack in Pathankot and Intelligence inputs about possible terror attacks on vital installations, security was significantly heightened at the airport, railway stations, bus stands and many popular markets on Sunday. It will be continued on Monday as well. Besides, with Republic Day Parade around the corner, it remains to be seen if the Delhi Police could be spared to ensure compliance of odd-even scheme on Monday.
It appears that it will again be Delhiites, who will decide the fate of the scheme, which has been effective to reduce number of vehicles on the roads so far, on the third day of its implementation as voluntary compliance has an upper hand over enforcement as was witnessed on the first two days.