2,000 cops, 5,000 volunteers to ensure phase 2 of odd-even is a hit

The Delhi government is all set to roll out the second phase of the odd-even scheme tomorrow with 2,000 traffic personnel, 580 enforcement officials and over 5,000 civil defence volunteers being deployed on the roads of the national capital daily for 15 days.

“An enforcement plan has been chalked out under which the city has been divided into 11 zones for the implementation of the scheme. Each zone will have 10 sectors. One mobile enforcement team will operate in each sector,” Transport Minister Gopal Rai said on Thursday.

He said an enforcement plan has been devised and 588 officials from Delhi Transport department’s enforcement wing will be deployed after being divided into teams during the operation of the scheme.

Also, a 20-member Special Task Force has been set up to look into matters reported by the mobile teams.

The enforcement teams have a 10-point focus chart which comprises areas near ISBTs, railway stations, health institutions, trade centres, district courts, city borders, education institutions, major traffic intersections, IGIAirport and crowded office buildings, Rai said.

Nearly 2,000 officials of Delhi Traffic Police will be deployed on roads daily. The traffic department has identified 200 intersections in the city where their personnel will be deployed in teams, with their sizes depending upon the volume of traffic in those intersections.

Meanwhile, talking about air pollution on the sidelines of a function, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said it will be reduced by 90 per cent by 2020 with the introduction of Bharat-VI emission norms.

“The government has decided to bring forward the date of launch for Bharat-VI emission norms from 2024 to 2020. Only Bharat-VI compliant vehicles will ply on roads by then. It will be implemented throughout the country. This will bring down the air pollution by 90 per cent,” he told reporters.

“Till then all states are free to implement their own measures and policies,” he said, referring to the second phase of odd-even scheme in Delhi.

Apart from enforcement officials and traffic personnel, 5,331 civil defence volunteers will also remain deployed at 205 strategic points in the national capital to ensure implementation of the scheme.

In the last phase (January 1-15), around 4,000 of such volunteers were pressed into service, Rai said.

Also, 321 wardens have been entrusted with the duty of ensuring coordination between volunteers and the government, he said.

Rai said the government has not been able to find a solution to the problem of cars picking up children after school hours during the fortnight-long road rationing scheme.

Cars with children in school uniforms are exempted from the odd-even scheme. But parents have raised apprehensions over the fate of the cars going to pick them up.

Referring to a recently conducted study by the government, Rai said that when it comes to picking up children after the school hours, around 85 per cent drivers are women, who are already exempted under the scheme. For the remaining, people should resort to carpooling.

When asked why a CNG sticker or certification-like arrangement could not be made for such cars, Rai said that monitoring of such a task was not possible at the moment.

He said many complaints were received in connection with CNG stickers during and after the last phase of odd-even scheme due to which the government has cut down the list of CNG stations from where the stickers can be availed to only one this time.

There are over 3,000 schools in the city and there are high chances of a scam in case any certification-like arrangement was made, he said.

At this moment, it is not possible to set up a monitoring system for that, the minister said.

Rai said the government has also arranged for adequate supply of drinking water, lemonade, caps, umbrellas and special ambulances for the volunteers facing the scorching heat during the period.

He said that 10 CCTV cameras have been installed at specific intersections to monitor vehicular movement during the fortnight.