Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday repeated his government’s resolve to make the odd-even car rationing plan a success to clean the city’s air despite fears that it may cause political harm to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
We would not have been able to implement the odd-even scheme, if we had indulged in “vote bank politics” or cared for the scheme’s impact on outcome of the next year’s civic polls, said the Chief Minister at a book launch function on Sunday.
The assertion on the car rationing scheme by Kejriwal came on a day when Transport Minister Gopal Rai announced a helpline for complaints on the plan.
Rai said that the administration was prepared for Monday which will be the first full-fledged working day since the launch of the campaign on January 1.
Kejriwal said, “The public response to the odd-even plan has been overwhelming, giving the government a lot of confidence.”
The voluntary participation of motorists is the biggest achievement of the odd-even plan, he added.
Action against official
Sources said Kejriwal is considering strict action against a top official of the Home Department after initial assessment indicated his alleged involvement in a bid to foil the odd-even plan.
Meanwhile, the DTC has chalked out a grand plan for ferrying 64 lakh passengers on Monday.
The transport minister said that a list of top 20 schools which have refused to offer their school bus fleet to the government for the odd-even days would be published.
Traffic on roads was smooth and congestion free on Sunday which was the first free day
for both odd and even numbered vehicles in the city under the 15 day road rationing scheme that ends on January 15.
The odd-even vehicular restriction policy of the Delhi government came into effect on January 1 with thousands of volunteers taking to the streets to assist traffic police in enforcing the pilot plan that will stay in force till January 15.
On the first two days of the odd-even scheme trial, 479 people were challaned for violation of the norms.
Experts, however, said that the real litmus test for the road-rationing experiment will be from Monday.
Under the scheme, private cars bearing odd registration plates are allowed to ply on odd dates while those with even numbers shall do so on even dates.
Those caught violating the scheme have to pay a penalty of Rs 2,000.
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