Odd-even vehicle scheme from Nov 4 to 15 in Delhi, says Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressing the media at the Secretariat regarding the announcement of odd-even rule in Delhi after Diwali, on Friday, September 13. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)

Besides this, the Aam Aadmi Party chief said, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi will also adopt mechanised sweeping and use water sprinklers to control dust. “We want to achieve 100% mechanised sweeping in Delhi,” he said.

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While the Supreme Court has banned the sale of firecrackers in the national capital, on Choti Diwali, the Delhi government will hold a laser show for the people, the Chief Minister announced.

Providing further details, the AAP chief said every ward will have two environment marshals to control polluting activities in that ward.

A massive plantation drive will also be undertaken and a helpline number will be released to ensure saplings are delivered to the people in their homes.

A war room will also be developed to address public grievances.

The Delhi government also identified 12 spots across the national capital, witnessing high levels of pollution. A separate plan will be made for them, Kejriwal said.

As part of long term measures, Kejriwal said an additional number of around 4,000 buses will be deployed and that the bus aggregator policy will be notified soon. Route rationalisation will be done for increasing the frequency of buses.

Bus stands will be also be revamped – the arrival status will be seen on boards or can be viewed on mobile applications. The electric vehicle policy will also be notified soon. Around 1,000 electric buses will be introduced, Kejriwal announced.

The most polluted months of the year are November, December and January, with pollution peaking in November.