Delhi Air Pollution LIVE Updates: Odd-Even Scheme Begins from Today as Capital Struggles to Breathe – News18, News18.com

The apocalyptic haze stiffened its choke on Delhi and satellite towns as scattered rains on Saturday increased humidity, leading to smog and a cloud cover preventing sun rays from warming the ground. Low visibility due to smog at the Delhi airport led to diversion of 37 flights.

In order to curb pollution, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday urged citizens to support the odd-even vehicle rationing scheme, in which only even-numbered non-transport vehicles allowed on Delhi roads on the first day of the exercise.

नमस्ते दिल्ली! प्रदूषण कम करने के लिए आज से Odd Even शुरू हो रहा है। अपने लिए, अपने बच्चों की सेहत के लिए और अपने परिवार की साँसों के लिए Odd Even का ज़रूर पालन करें। कार शेयर करें। इस से दोस्ती बढ़ेगी, रिश्ते बनेंगे, पेट्रोल बचेगा और प्रदूषण भी कम होगा।

दिल्ली फिर कर दिखायेगी

– Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal)November 4, 2019

Under the scheme, which will be implemented from 8 am to 8 pm till November 15, non-transport four-wheeled vehicles with registration numbers ending with an odd digit (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) will not be allowed on the roads on November 4, 6, 8, 12 and 14. Similarly, vehicles with registration numbers ending with an even digit (0, 2, 4, 6, 8) will not be allowed on the roads on November 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15.

The scheme will not be implemented on November 10 (Sunday) and the restrictions will also apply to the vehicles with registration numbers of other states.

Hundreds of teams of Delhi Traffic Police and the transport and revenue departments have been deployed for a strict implementation of the odd-even scheme. Around 400 traffic inspectors and assistant traffic inspectors (ATIs) of the DTC and the transport department will be deployed in two shifts during the drive.

The ATIs and revenue department officials will issue challans to the violators as well as ensure a proper enforcement of the scheme at 200 locations identified by the transport department, according to a government official.

Violators will be fined Rs 4, 000. Head constables and officers of higher ranks in the traffic police, sub-divisional magistrates, tehsildars, ATIs and high-ranked officials of the DTC have been authorized to issue challans to the violators.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have blamed the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi for the air pollution crisis and termed the odd-even scheme as a stunt by the ruling regime, with an eye on the Assembly polls due early next year.