Odd-even won’t be permanent but in phases, says Kejriwal

The odd-even traffic scheme is set to start again “for a short period”, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday, adding it can’t be a permanent feature.

The odd-even traffic scheme is set to start again “for a short period”, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday, adding it can’t be a permanent feature.

“We will start it again for a short period,” Kejriwal told a group of journalists at his residence in New Delhi.

“This will be done in phases. We can’t do it on a permanent basis,” he said.

Kejriwal said that the decision has been taken following the feedback on the January 1-15 odd-even scheme when only cars with odd registration numbers were allowed to ply on odd dates and those with even registration numbers on even dates.

Kejriwal, however, added that two-wheelers will remain outside the ambit of the odd-even scheme because of problems related to public infrastructure.

He said Delhi had 30 lakh two-wheelers and if these many two-wheeler riders were to take to buses and Delhi Metro, it would lead to chaos.

“So, we can’t include two-wheelers in the odd-even scheme.”

A formal announcement regarding the odd-even scheme will be made later in the evening.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that the lack of traffic jams during the January 1-15 period was something that everyone in the city had appreciated.