Aam aadmi divided over numberplate plan rerun

NEW DELHI: As the Delhi government on Monday sifted through the survey data on the odd-even scheme, it found that a section of residents was unhappy with the idea of reintroducing the numberplate plan. This came to the fore during the mohalla sabhas which were conducted over the weekend.

Said Rajiv Kakria, a resident of Greater Kailash I, who claimed to have attended mohalla sabhas in Greater Kailash I and II, "A survey should be preceded with a campaign detailing the phased roadmap of how the government will proceed, clearly informing about its readiness and a time-frame stating the various stages. None of this has been done." Another resident of Vasant Kunj, Amit Agarwal, was equally unhappy, pointing to the lack of discussion over the scheme.

"The methodology is flawed. People who are not affected by the scheme-two-wheelers and women-will obviously not vote against it. At the mohalla sabhas, citizens were only allowed to answer the questionnaire, which missed an important question: will people want the odd-even to return with the existing infrastructure," asked Agarwal.

A number of car owners are also not happy with the government's decision to implement the scheme. K Nandakumar, a Green Park resident, said, "It is more important to augment the public transport system before reintroducing the scheme so that we have an alternative."

R N Arora, another resident, said the scheme would be practical only if implemented across NCR. "In the rest of NCR, the transport infrastructure is very weak as compared to Delhi. It is not only very cumbersome but all the more risky to cross the border from UP or Haryana to Delhi," added the resident.

Officials, meanwhile, admitted that while a majority of residents had expressed support for the odd-even scheme, many had also shared their concerns for a robust public transport before implementing the scheme.