Delhi’s odd-even rule likely to return after Board exams season

#NewDelhi:   The Delhi AAP  government is not keen to implement the next phase of the odd-even scheme during the school exam season. A top source confirmed that the government was tentatively planning to bring the road rationing scheme back after the Board exams.
“The ideal time would be after the exams. The implementation of the scheme will then not inconvenience children or their parents,” said the official while reiterating that the government was keen to bring the anti pollution measure back.

The fact that school buses will also be available for the odd-even scheme is another reason why the government wants to postpone the rationing plan till April, particularly because the city faces an acute shortage of public transport buses. During the first phase in January , the Delhi government had asked schools to pitch in with buses to tide over the demand for more public transport. While schools were supposed to supply more than 1,000 buses, they eventually provided just 300.

It’s precisely because of this that the government has been advised caution in going ahead with the plan, officials said. If implemented over a long period, the scheme would require a solid bus footprint, along with substantial support from Metro. However, the bus cluster system is already facing a crisis, with one of the concessionaires walking out of the agreement.

To provide an viable alternative to commuters, the government requires at least 3,000 more buses. Recently , a group of former Blueline bus owners, the STA Operators Ekta Manch, had promised to acquire buses that conform to the urban development ministry’s specifications for the scheme. But it wanted the government to allow it to ply permanently under the DTC Parivahan Sewa.