Odd-even scheme: On Day 2, more police, volunteers on road

Deputy CM Sisodia cycles to work,Kejri says move ‘widely accepted’

On the second day of the odd-even scheme, even-numbered cars rolled out onto Delhi’s streets and the odd-numbered ones stayed largely off the roads in the national capital. While there is a substantial reduction in the traffic on the streets, the litmus test of the scheme would be on Monday when commuters will travel to work.

A thousand more traffic police personnel were deployed on the second day of the odd-even scheme even as more volunteers came out into the streets encouraging Delhiites to support the Delhi government’s ambitious drive. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had in an interview made it clear that it was not feasible to implement the scheme permanently.

Environmentalists feel it will bring down pollution levels to a great extent. Day two of the scheme once again saw the Delhi government trying its best to promote its brainchild with deputy CM Manish Sisodia cycling to office.

Mr Sisodia, whose car bears an odd registration number, cycled to the All-India Radio office at 8.30 am from his residence and then pedalled down to Delhi Secretariat after taking part in a radio show.

An “overwhelmed” CM Kejriwal had said that the radical initiative of the AAP government has received widespread acceptance among the people and that Delhi would “show the way” to the rest of the country. The pilot plan will stay in force till January 15.

As many as 25 categories have been exempted from the restrictions, including emergency service vehicles, taxis, two-wheelers, CNG-run vehicles and cars driven by women with only female co- passengers and children up to the age of 12.

“One thousand more officials were deployed today because the traffic police could not operate at its optimum capacity yesterday as a large number of police officials were deployed on the road till 3 am on the intervening night of the new year,” a senior police official said.

While schoolchildren who took the lead in the awareness campaign on Friday were not seen on Saturday, more civil defence volunteers were seen on busy stretches holding posters and guiding the public to abide by the rules. “More civil defence volunteers were deployed than yesterday to make the motorists aware of the road-rationing plan,” an official said.