More than a million private cars were banned from New Delhi’s roads on Friday, as authorities began trialling drastic new measures to cut smog in the world’s most polluted capital.
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He said the people of Delhi accepted the scheme “whole-heartedly”, adding “I am confident that in next five years people will show the way to rest of the country”.
Critics have warned the plan could fail in a city where traffic rules are already routinely flouted, with even the federal environment minister calling the move “crazy”.
25 categories have received exemption from the restrictions, including emergency service vehicles, taxis and cars being driven by women, which may have only female co- passengers and children up to age of 12. This is a good sign.
Police asked him to turn around and go back home. The minister owns an odd numbered auto therefore he chose to take a bicycle ride to reach office.
Even-numbered vehicles virtually went off the roads in the Indian capital on Friday as Delhi kickstarted a path-breaking odd-even vehicle restriction policy to battle rising pollution.
Under the regulations, cars bearing odd-numbered registration plates shall ply on city roads today while those with even number plates, if taken out, will attract a penalty of Rs 2,000 under relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act.
“On Saturday, we challaned 229 persons till 8 PM”. Traffic police were quick to fine them a steep 2,000 rupees (40 US dollars).
For the residents and visitors of Delhi, the New Year has started with the implementation of the odd-even scheme that restricts the use of odd number cars to odd number dates and even cars on even dates.
Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the measures would be introduced more widely if they proved effective over the next fortnight. “The flower have been given for civil defence volunteers who will offer the same to those violating the odd-even rules”, said a senior government official.
“I appeal to the Centre and the neighbouring states to check the pollution caused by almost 4000 brick kilns, construction sites not following NGT orders and crop burning in the vicinity of Delhi”, he said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government claimed that pollution levels reduced across monitoring stations but a scientific justification is awaited on this.
India has 13 of the 20 most-polluted cities in the world, according to the World Health Organisation.
The plan will be imposed between 8am and 8pm from Monday to Sunday, and will be enforced by traffic policemen and several thousand volunteers who will check cars at intersections.
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The impact of the restrictions was not immediately reflected in the levels of suspended particulate matter which remained on the higher side keeping the average air quality “very poor”.
