Odd-Even Phase 2 Begins, Arvind Kejriwal Asks People To Make It A Success

"Odd even starts today. Lets all join hands and resolve to make it a success," Mr Kejriwal, Delhi's chief minister tweeted this morning.

About 2,000 traffic police personnel, 580 enforcement officials and over 5,000 civil defence volunteers will be out on Delhi's roads to ensure citizens follow the rule which bans private cars on alternate days.

The first day is expected to be smooth with schools and many offices closed for Ram Navmi. The stress test will begin on Monday when schools and offices re-open.  

Delhi's transport minister Gopal Rai said the government has failed to find a solution to the problem of how children will be picked up in cars after school. Schools were closed for winter vacations the last time Delhi experimented with odd-even.

Cars with children in school uniforms are exempted from the odd-even scheme. But parents have asked what happens when they are going to the school to pick up their children.

This time too the scheme will not apply to women drivers and two-wheelers.

The Delhi Metro has said it will run extra trains and the Delhi Transport Corporation or DTC will run extra buses till April 30 to accommodate those who cannot run their vehicles on a certain day.

 Those who violate odd-even will be fined Rs. 2,000, the Delhi government has said. The scheme will not be implemented on Sundays.

Odd-Even 1 in January did not lower pollution "as much as expected," but it significantly helped reduce traffic congestion in the city, Chief Minister Kejriwal has said.

If the second round is successful, Mr Kejriwal's government will consider odd-even for 15 days every month. Experts will monitor its effect on gaseous pollutants such as ozone this time.