Odd-even may be back in April with ‘public support’

The second phase of the odd-even road rationing initiative could be back in the first week of April.

The second phase of the odd-even road rationing initiative could be back in the first week of April.

After a 15-day trial of the odd-even restriction on Delhi roads between January 1 and January 15, the Delhi government had claimed massive support from Delhiites and said it would look at reintroducing the restriction. (Sonu Mehta/HT)

After over two lakh people sent in their suggestions and the Delhi government contacted another 10 lakh for feedback, it is certain that the restriction on cars will be back for another stint.

The government is expected to announce a date for the second leg of the restriction on Tuesday.

“The question is that of timing. February is right here and a lot of things need to be taken into account before implementing the system. It is possible that the restriction will come back in April,” said a government official.

Over the course of the past 15 days, the government received 182,808 missed calls to give feedback on the odd-even restriction. In addition, 28,400 forms were filled online and 9,000 emails were sent.

The transport department made calls to 10 lakh people to collect feedback. The process came to a close at 6pm on Monday.

Public meetings were held in each constituency by MLAs to gauge residents’ reactions.

After a 15-day trial of the odd-even restriction on Delhi roads between January 1 and January 15, the Delhi government had claimed massive support from Delhiites and said it would look at reintroducing the restriction.

The feedback was brought not just to know if the people want odd-even back but also to understand when and in what form it should be implemented.

The feedback form asked people if they wanted the restriction back, when they wanted it back (options were February, exam-time in March, April and May) and for how long it should be implemented.