Arvind Kejriwal will announce dates for round two of Odd Even scheme today.
At 4 pm this evening, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will announce dates for round two of Odd Even, the traffic scheme that bans private cars on alternate days. Sources said it is likely to be relaunched on April 1.
It is not clear yet for how long the new round will run. For 15 days from January 1 this year, cars with odd-numbered plates were allowed on the road on odd-numbered dates and even-numbered cars were permitted on others, in an attempt to cut Delhi's toxic smog. .
The Delhi government has said it is waiting for Class 10 and 12 board exams to finish before enforcing the traffic restrictions again.
"Dilli mangey dil se, odd-even phir se (Delhi wants odd-even again, from the bottom of its heart)," said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, claiming that the capital is longing for Odd-Even 2.0.
He said the public,
in an over-whelming response to the call for feedback, has sent 12 lakh suggestions to the government's website and 9,000 emails. The top 20 suggestions, picked for their unique ideas, were presented to the chief minister on Wednesday.
Sources said a stiff fine could continue in round 2, but the government could also reward those who follow Odd-Even despite being exempted. Supreme Court judges won praise in the last round for car-pooling despite being kept out of odd-even.
Experts disagree on whether the traffic restrictions in January reduced pollution in the city; the courts pointed out the need for more public transport; commuters said metros were packed but driving suddenly turned into a far easier feat than it has been for years.
The government completes its first year in office on Sunday, February 14. Cabinet ministers will join Mr Kejriwal on stage to take calls from residents for two hours.