Violators of odd-even rules offered roses by volunteers

'Gandhigiri' was on display at 200 locations in the city with civil defence volunteers offering roses to those violating odd-even rules implemented for 15 days from Friday to bring down pollution level in the national capital.

Delhi government has deployed around 10,000 volunteers with rose stems in their hands across the national capital to request violators to follow odd-even rules, following the "Gandhigiri" route.

An official said that around 200 volunteers have been deployed along with traffic cops and sub-divisional magistrates in each assembly segment of the national capital at major red rights.

"There are nine districts in Delhi and each district administration has bought roses stems on its own. The flower have been given for civil defence volunteers who will offer the same to those violating the odd-even rules," said a senior government official.

The official said that most people, who wanted to ply their vehicles on even-numbered car today, relented when they were greeted with roses.

Civil defence volunteers stand at traffic halts and they also made violators of odd-even scheme understand the impact of pollution on them and their children.

The ambitious odd-even scheme, a first such intervention in the country to combat spiraling air pollution, got off to a decent start on new year with volume of cars on the city roads coming down significantly amid deployment of thousands of policemen and and moderately augmented public transport.

As the clock struck eight this morning, the vehicular restriction policy came into effect with thousands of volunteers carrying roses also taking to the streets to assist traffic police in enforcing the pilot plan that will stay in force till January 15.

"Overwhelmed" by the response of the people to the car rationing experiment, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the pilot initiative of the Aam Aadmi Party government has turned "into a movement". 

Image: The ambitious odd-even scheme, a first such intervention in the country to combat spiraling air pollution, got off to a decent start on new yea Photograph: PTI