Terming the second day of implementation of odd-even formula as successful, Delhi Transport minister Gopal Rai today said he noticed “a new, collective consciousness” among people to contribute towards efforts for lowering pollution.
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“There were speculations and doubts about what would happen on Monday when all the offices open. I spoke to Metro officials and took a feedback from 50 stations, and we were informed that the crowd on Monday was less than the peak crowd recorded in December in the past and the picture which was posted was of October 22 (Dussehra)”.
Although many odd-numbered cars were spotted, they were running on CNG or driven by women – both exempted categories – and the roads were still less crowded in the morning.
Many regular Delhi Metro commuters did not find the Metro coaches extraordinarily crowded either. But the situation was different on the Metro Violet Line which has only four-coach trains.
Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Dr Muktesh Chander said that Delhi Traffic Police issued challans to 1,040 vehicles till 8 pm on Monday for odd-even violations. “The proposal regarding full-time use of helicopters for aerial surveillance has been drafted and it is likely to be put into operation by next year”. Traffic was spared of the regulation on Sunday. Across several parts of the capital, which witness traffic congestion routinely, a cross section of commuters, autorickshaw drivers and police staff on duty told ET that, far from the anticipated chaos, traffic had eased. Delhi Metro carried over two lakh more passengers till 8 pm compared to the same hours on the previous Monday.
Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad next?
At a time when the national capital needs more public transport alternatives with the odd-even days all ready to set in, at least 400 to 500 buses lie unutilised at depots at any given point owing to reasons like poor maintenance and missed trips.
Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who cycled to work at the Delhi Secretariat, acknowledged that the traffic had gone down in the city. Citing the findings of a study by Delhi Pollution Control Committee, based on air pollution data of the past three days, Rai said he would talk to the neighbouring states about extending the odd-even rule to NCR.
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During the 15-day odd-even trial, DMRC has planned to run 3,192 total trips to handle the passenger rush. The Delhi government claimed the third day also to be a “success” crediting Delhi citizens opting for carpooling in a big way. “We will also meet Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari and request him to expedite the work on the eastern and western peripheral expressways”, added Rai. The border areas, according to Rai, remained without impact on air pollution because of the presence of trucks and other transport vehicles and conditions in other states.
