Sisodia consults Patparganj residents on ‘Odd-Even’ scheme

New Delhi : As the consultations for ‘Odd-Even’ scheme entered the second day, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia today attended a public meeting in I.P. Extension, Patparganj, to seek public opinion on bringing back the formula.

The participants were given the option of voting during the consultation process. Four options to each question were given to the participants to learn about as to when the plan should be implemented.

A majority of attendants, though, supported the implementation of the scheme; others suggested that it should not be implemented during the exam time.

Aparna Singhal, a professor of foreign language, who voted against the implementation of the scheme, told ANI: “I stay in Indirapuram. I have hired a chauffeur. But during the Odd-Even scheme, I can’t enter Delhi with my chauffeur driving the car. Hence, women with chauffeurs must be given exemption from the Odd-Even scheme.”

When asked how long the scheme should be implemented, a large number of participants were in favour to implement the scheme permanently. However, some wanted it to be implemented every fortnight.

Some of the residents put forward unique ideas during the meeting.

Satyadev Bhandari, a resident of East Delhi, suggested that vehicles ferrying groom or bride with marriage stickers should be exempted from the scheme.

Bhandari’s son is going to marry soon and his would be daughter-in-law belongs to Uttarakhand, hence he suggested that vehicles used by grooms and brides must be exempted.

Another participant, Shankar Lal, a Delhi Jal Board employee, suggested that a car ferrying more than one person should be exempted as it promotes car-pooling and works as public transport.

Exemption to VIPs met with stiff resistance from the participants who, however, supported exemption to embassies vehicles.

Besides, in-person consultation, the government has also sought opinion via email and helpline numbers.

After the successful first phase trial for 15 days, the Delhi Government had announced to bring back the formula to curb the air pollution level and congestion on roads in Delhi, citing the demand from the people.

However, the AAP Government made it increasingly clear that no additional arrangement of public transport is being made available during the Odd-Even scheme. The computers have to suffer thorough the crisis of strong public transport rather it has to use the available one.

Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai, in his last press conference, had announced that the first fleet of 1,000 cluster busses would only be available after April.

The government is set to make the official data public on February 8. (ANI)