Aam aadmi's views on Odd-even scheme taken by Delhi government

On Saturday, the Delhi government kicked off an exercise to get citizens' views on its proposal to launch the second phase of the oddeven scheme. SDMs and MLAs were told to organise the two day programme in their respective areas.oddeven scheme. SDMs and MLAs were told to organise the two day programme in their respective areas.

Presence of people, however, was thin--only 50-60 residents turned up in densely-populated areas like Sewa Nagar and Jangpura. Questions such as who should be exempted, the days when the scheme should run and how soon it needs to be implemented were asked.Madan Lal, MLA, Kasturba Nagar, said, "Once the scheme is implemented, better regulations and strict enforcement of law should be in place. Pollution will have to be monitored regularly and the system should be more transparent."

Constituencies where the exercise was carried out included Delhi Cantt, Kasturba Nagar, Jangpura, Greater Kailash, Malviya Nagar, Chhatarpur, Karol Bagh, Tilaknagar, Madipur, Wazirpur, Mundka and Nangloi Jat.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier claimed that the odd-even numberplate formula brought down the pollution levels by 25%. Initially, some experts had said its effectiveness on the city's pollution level could not be determined so easily without considering other factors like weather. On the other hand, a section of citi zens was in favour of the scheme as it helped reduce traffic congestions to a great extent.
On Saturday , many people opposed the idea of giving exemption to single women and suggested that senior citizens should be exempted instead.However, M M Sharma, an elderly resident of Lajpat Nagar, said that exemption should be given to those who need it."Considering the safety and security of women, their exemption seems fair," he added.

Ritika Sareen, a Delhi University student said that for better implementation of the odd-even scheme, public transport needs to be upgraded.

Citizens were, however, unanimous in condemning the VIP culture and were against extending any favour to this class. Rajinder Gulati, a shop owner in Bhogal Market, said, "Everyone should be treated equally and even twowheelers shouldn't be exemp ted from the scheme."

Amandeep Singh who rides a two-wheeler every day said people from low income group can't afford to buy a second motorcycle, so they deserve the exemption.

However, some citizens who came to give their feedback the exemption on two-wheelers should be lifted as they contribute to 32% of the vehicular pollution. Ishan Kaushik, a Class XII student, said that instead of two-wheelers, people should use bicycles to cover small distances, which would help cut pollution levels.

Praveen Kumar, MLA of the Jangpura constituency , said, "The objective of the odd-even scheme was to make sure that our kids don't develop lung problems."

He added that the scheme was the first step in making people aware of the severe air pollution in the city.

Image credit: Indiatimes