<div>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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />“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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />“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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />“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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />“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. <br /><br />While some voluntarily followed it, others said they were “forced” to alter their daily routine according to the number of their car.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />“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.</div>
<div>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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />“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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />“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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />“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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />“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. <br /><br />While some voluntarily followed it, others said they were “forced” to alter their daily routine according to the number of their car.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />“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.</div>
