JOIN USGovt eyes public support to get past 'maniac' Monday
Additional 200 prosecution teams and video recording of violators of odd-even plan for challan at a later stage are part of the Delhi government’s arrangement for Monday – the first full fledged working day of the January 1-15 car rationing campaign.
The government has also ramped up two helpline numbers – 011-41400400, 011-42400400 – to take quick action against autorickshaw drivers who refuse to go to a passenger’s destination or over-charge.
After a meeting of the Coordination Committee meeting on Sunday, Transport Minister Gopal Rai said, “The outcome of the big test on Monday is in public’s hands and the mindset of people towards pollution has changed.”
Countering claims of critics that the plan did not have any positive impact on pollution, Rai said these rumours were wrong and the success of the Plan on the first two days has cleaned the city’s air.
“On the first two days of the plan we were going soft on the prosecution of violators of the plan but from Monday, no violator would be spared,” said Rai.
The DTC will be ready to ferry nearly 64 lakh passengers – as against its average daily load of 48 lakh commuters and the Metro is prepared to carry 32 lakh passengers as against the daily average of 26 lakh, said the Minister.
Additional policing
Referring to social media messages warning that trouble makers are likely to be brought to the city on Monday for plotting the failure of the odd-even plan, Rai said, “We are in touch with the Delhi Police to ensure that apart from the traffic police teams the local policemen in khakis also join the drive to challan the violators of the odd-even plan.”
He said there would be 100 additional teams of local police, 33 additional teams of the transport department’s enforcement wing and another 82 teams of district magistrates, additional DMs, sub-divisional magistrates and tehsildars in the field to prosecute violators.
“We have also asked civil defence volunteers stationed at all major crossings to make video recordings in their phones of all violators of the plan and send it to our main server so that the violators can be penalised at a later stage,” said Rai.
In the last two days, the traffic police and the enforcement department have challaned 567 vilators of the odd-even scheme. In addtion to this, 348 autorickshaw drivers have been challaned.
Additional cameras and hidden cameras would also be put up at major crossings to ensure no violator manages to have a free run, he said.
Rai said school children and elderly have been approaching the government to serve for the success of the Plan.
“My appeal to all of them is to ensure that they convince at least five people they kn-
ow to follow the odd-even plan and give up cars,” he said.