Odd-Even starts as Delhi struggles to breathe
NEW DELHI: The odd-even scheme in the backdrop of the severe air pollution in the national capital will kick in from 8 am on Monday (November 4), with only even-numbered non-transport vehicles allowed on Delhi roads on the first day of the exercise.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to people on Sunday to follow the rule for the sake of their children and the city. He has also asked the government machinery to ensure that no person faces inconvenience due to the restrictions.
Under the scheme, which will be implemented from 8 am to 8 pm till November 15, non-transport four-wheeled vehicles with registration numbers ending with an odd digit (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) will not be allowed on the roads on November 4, 6, 8, 12 and 14. Similarly, vehicles with registration numbers ending with an even digit (0, 2, 4, 6, 8) will not be allowed on the roads on November 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15.
The scheme will not be implemented on November 10 (Sunday), and the restrictions will also apply to the vehicles with registration numbers of other states.
Hundreds of teams of Delhi Traffic Police and the transport and revenue departments have been deployed for strict implementation of the odd-even scheme. Around 400 traffic inspectors and assistant traffic inspectors (ATIs) of the DTC and the transport department will be deployed in two shifts during the drive.
The ATIs and revenue department officials will issue challans to the violators as well as ensure proper enforcement of the scheme at 200 locations identified by the transport department, according to a government official. Delhi Traffic Police has deployed 200 teams to ensure proper implementation of the scheme and around 5,000 civil defence volunteers have been trained for deployment across the city to create awareness about it.
On the eve of the odd-even scheme coming into force in the national capital, the Delhi government on Sunday announced that electric vehicles would be exempted from the road rationing scheme.
Pollution levels in Delhi and satellite towns shot up again on Sunday morning, with the air quality bordering the 'severe plus' category at several places.
A slight increase in the wind speed and a drizzle on Saturday had led a drop in pollution levels with the air quality index settling at 399 in the evening. However, weather experts said pollution levels shot up overnight due to calm winds leading to the accumulation of pollutants.
At 11 am, Delhi's AQI read 483.
On Friday, the city recorded the 24-hour AQI average of 484, which prompted authorities to shut schools, ban all construction activities and declare a "public health emergency".
Friday's highest was the worst since November 9, 2017, when it was 486.
Delhi is pinning hopes on meteorological relief with the weatherman saying winds gusting up to 20-25 kilometres per hour are likely to prevail in the region from Sunday evening to Tuesday.
Pollution caused significant disruption at Delhi airport on Sunday as 37 flights were diverted to other airports due to heavy smog, officials said. Due to low visibility at Delhi Airport, thirty-seven flights were diverted between 9 am and 1 pm to places like Jaipur, Amritsar Lucknow and Mumbai, they said.
