Capital of India adopts pollution measures

“Residents in Delhi are incredible people and they have accomplished an nearly impossible task”, Kejriwal told journalists. “Delhiites! U give me hope that U are capable of achieving big challenges”, tweeted the city’s Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal.

The vehicles had the CNG stickers, which are exempted from the scheme, on the windshields, but the alert police chief had seen the number plate on the rear side of the vehicle, the source said. According to the odd-even scheme, odd- and even-numbered four-wheelers will ply on Delhi’s road on alternate dates.

An official said that around 200 volunteers have been deployed along with traffic cops and sub-divisional magistrates in each assembly segment of the national capital at major red rights.

The restrictions will be in force from 8 am to 8 pm every day during the coming two weeks.

As per initial observations by System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the gains of lower vehicular emissions could have been more had there been less vehicular movement and no bursting of firecrackers on the night of December 31. The same Delhi, which was called selfish, has shown the way. “We thank all people for choosing their children’s health”.

The government has also introduced 3,000 extra buses. In cases of medical emergency, people will not be stopped from taking patients to hospitals.

There were no police barricades near the Delhi-Noida border in the morning and the volunteers tried to ensure a smooth flow of traffic on the road.

Even as pollution and congestion are yet to go through a sustained test, the positiveness around the policy doesn’t hurt as many car-owners reported reaching their destinations quicker than they usually would. “Pollution levels can not be reduced like this since most pollution is caused by construction work and traffic jams”, he said. He accused the Centre of trying to sabotage the scheme on the eve of its implementation by instigating the strike by bureaucrats. “I repeatedly said that the scheme will meet with success only when people embrace it and not through force. It’s a welcome step”, said local resident Ravi Puri.

The scheme is applicable from 8am to 8pm from Monday to Saturday. Also the schools are having winter vacation, which would have taken off some load from the traffic. Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai said at a press conference that the number of violators was negligible. Environment Minister Imran Hussain and Social Welfare Minister Sandeep Kumar will take an auto and a bus, respectively, to reach Delhi Secretariat.

At certain areas, volunteers and civil defence personnel offered people roses prodding them politely.

Two thirds of the particulate matter below 10 microns or PM-10 can be attributed to dust and about 40 per cent of the PM 2.5 is accounted by road dust.

On Friday, the average PM2.5 levels for New Delhi were over 297, nearly 5 times higher than the Indian norm of 60 and some 15 times over the World Health Organization standard of 20.

The Delhi Metro said no substantial jump in ridership was observed.