The impact of the odd-even scheme on the pollution levels in the city may still be unclear, but it has surely influenced the daily routine of Delhiites.
During the 15-day trial period, following the scheme had become a force of habit for 27-year-old Raghav Mahajan. Earlier, he used to start from his home in Rohini for Patel Chowk at 10 am in the morning.
“Since, I have been carpooling with my colleagues, I start early. I had forgotten waking up early in the morning, but thanks to the odd-even rule, I developed this habit again,” said Mahajan, an IT professional.
Hailing the odd-even move, Romi Yadav, a Public Relations professional, said due to less traffic on roads, she was able to do certain activities on working days which were earlier reserved only for weekends.
“The best thing about the odd-even rule was that there was very less traffic even during peak hours. Because I could reach early, on some days I went to meet my friends and did some household shopping which is usually kept for weekends. But, on the contrary, Sundays were chaotic during this 15-day period,” she said.
Sarthak Walia agrees that while it used to take him 45 minutes daily to reach his home in Dwarka from office in Netaji Subhash Place before the odd-even scheme, after its introduction it took only 25 minutes to cover the distance.
Walia, who works in Zomato and has an odd-numbered car, however, said that the bliss was only on alternate days and the travel was a “hassle” when he could not ply his car.
“On even-numbered days, I had to change three metros to reach office. During this period, even the commercial taxis overcharged and carpooling is not convenient for everyone. It is a good effort but a lot more management by the government needs to be done,” he said.
On the other hand, Praveen Singhal, a resident of Sahibabad and working in an IT firm in Gurgaon, rejoiced at the idea of a second odd-even trial as he got the option of “working from home” on alternate days.
“Since it is a long route from my home to office, my office gave me the option of working from home on the days when I could not take out my car. I got to spend a little more time with my two-year-old daughter,” he said.
While some voluntarily followed it, others said they were “forced” to alter their daily routine according to the number of their car.
Professor Sanjib Kumar Acharya, a career counsellor, said that the scheme affected his work as he could not go to his “main centre” at East of Kailash on alternate days.
“I could not meet clients on alternate days as the commute from my home to office through public transport is not very comfortable. This odd-even rule has affected my work. It is a good effort, but, a hasty decision, without much thought,” Acharya said.
Published 16 January 2016, 01:53 IST