Some motorists gave Civil Defence volunteers hard time, but it was worth it

Delhi government’s odd-even scheme couldn’t have been as successful as it turned out to be without the contribution of an army of Civil Defence volunteers who worked along with the Traffic Police personnel in reminding the motorists about the new rules.

Expressing satisfaction in contributing their bit in reducing traffic and pollution, the volunteers want the scheme to continue even after January 15.

“What this scheme has achieved you, will know tomorrow when the city reverts to its actual share of cars. Even crossing this road would be difficult when all the cars hit the road tomorrow. This will undo everything which we have done in the last 15 days. I strongly believe that this scheme should be continued for a bit long,” said Dheeraj, a Civil Defence volunteer at Connaught Place.

Doubling up as guides to the numerous visitors pouring in at Connaught Place, volunteers also had their share of rough behaviour while dealing with violators of the scheme.

“A week back, on an even day, I was standing here alone checking the cars’ registration number. A car came near which had an odd-numbered plate. I went near him and tapped on his window. I politely mentioned to him that he was driving an odd-numbered car, to which he shot back at me to mind my own business,” said Avinash, another volunteer.

“When I explained to him that I am here to help people, the driver said that he had no authority to ask me such questions. Only after a group of people gathered there and explained the driver about his fault that he apologised and drove away,” Avinash added.

Some drivers were plain sarcastic, when volunteers pointed out their mistake. “After getting irritated by my intervention, a driver told me that you are pointing out my mistake, but see that car. It has also an odd-numbered plate, why don’t you tell the same to him also. And another said, if pollution has gone down because of the scheme why are you still wearing a mask,” said Bholaram Ahirwal, a Civil Defence volunteer.

The volunteers have created a WhatsApp group where they share their day-to-day experiences with their colleagues. According to them as the days passed, violation started to decline.

“In the first three-four days I used to see at least 20-30 wrong numbered cars daily. However, now it’s difficult to find a violation,” Ahirwal added.