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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Odd-even scheme: In capital of entitlement, awareness, heavy fine drove ‘90 pc’ compliance -Apurva

Odd-even scheme: In capital of entitlement, awareness, heavy fine drove ‘90 pc’ compliance -Apurva

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published Published on Jan 16, 2016   modified Modified on Jan 16, 2016
-The Indian Express

The jury may still be out on the short-term pollution control mechanism, but for the first fortnight of 2016, a majority of Delhi’s car owners persisted in following the policy.

DELHI’S COMMUTERS are seldom known for their decorum. But for 15 days starting January 1, even with the odds stacked against Delhi, the road rationing policy gained traction, slowly but surely. The jury may still be out on the short-term pollution control mechanism, but for the first fortnight of 2016, a majority of Delhi’s car owners persisted in following the policy.

Consider these numbers:

* Since the day the policy began, the Delhi Police and government booked 5,582 and 2,870 people respectively for violating the policy. That’s about 54 people booked for every hour of the 156 hours the policy was in effect. The odd-even rules applied between 8 am and 8 pm and Sundays were exempt.

* But in just two hours of a traffic police zero tolerance drive on January 7, close to 1,000 motorists were booked at just one traffic signal.

* When the Delhi Police launched a campaign against tinted windows after the December 16, 2012 gangrape, few complied.

Special Commissioner (Traffic) Muktesh Chander said the compliance of commuters with the odd-even policy was heartening. “We have run many campaigns in the past, but I believe close to 90 per cent of car owners in Delhi complied with the odd-even policy. While I cannot comment on pollution levels, I can come to a logical and perceivable conclusion that traffic congestion eased,” he said.

But why did Delhi choose to comply this time?

“First, the awareness of the scheme was massive. There was paid, and even more free, publicity on all media. Forget Delhi and the country, people in foreign countries knew such a thing was happening in India. Second, a hefty fine — Rs 2,000 — was announced and the public was well aware of it. Third, very strict enforcement and of course willingness of the public,” explained Chander.

“If you assign some points to each of these factors and add them up, you get the reason for Delhi’s compliance. How many points each factor should be assigned is a matter of research,” said Chander.

Even the opposition BJP in Delhi acknowledged that the policy was well-received. “We salute the spirit of the people of Delhi who understood the urgency of the matter and fully cooperated for a noble cause,” said Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta. “This spirit needs to be supported with concrete steps by the government of the day,” he added.

But not everybody concurred. Dinesh Mohan, professor emeritus, Volvo Chair, IIT-Delhi, maintained that the short timeframe of the policy needed to be factored in. “For most car owners, the policy meant five days without their vehicle, since Sundays are exempt. The public also knew the policy would end on January 15 and so they complied. People are aware of the air pollution problem. However, it remains to be seen how the public will respond when such a policy is announced for three months,” he said.

He added that since schools were closed for the fortnight, many parents did not have to worry about the daily double commute, and the school buses were available for the Delhi Transport Corporation.


The Indian Express, 16 January, 2016, http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/odd-even-scheme-in-capital-of-entitlement-awareness-heavy-fine-drove-90-pc-compliance/


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