Asian Games 2018: Jakarta implements odd-even policy to curb pollution, police given shoot-at-sight orders

Jakarta will implement the odd-even car policy during the 18th Asian Games which will be held in Indonesia from August 18 to September 2.

An Indonesia Kopassus special forces soldier walks after an anti-terror drill ahead of the upcoming Asian Games in Jakarta. (Reuters Photo)

Jakarta, alongwith Palembang, will host the 18th Asian Games. The Games, scheduled to begin on August 18, are just two weeks away and the Jakarta administration is laying out some policies for the smooth running of the Games. While some of them are accepted, others have sparked controversy.

Among the policies, one is the odd-even policy which will be implemented during the Games. In a move to reduce traffic jams, the city administration has decided to expand the odd-even policy in the city from 6 AM to 9 PM.

According to a report in Jakarta Post, cars with license plate ending with odd number will be allowed to travel in certain zones only on odd-numbered dates. The cars ending in even numbers will only be allowed to travel on even-numbered dates.

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“The velocity of vehicles has increased by 12 percent since the implementation of the policy,” Anies was quoted as saying by Jakarta Post. The city administration also claims the odd-even policy has reduced air pollution in some parts of the city.

In other policy, the city police are also cracking down on thieves and robbers in the capital. If the criminals resist arrest, the police have the right to shoot at the suspected perpetrators.

So far, Jakarta Police have 16 teams of 1,000 personnel from all police precincts. An operation, which began on July 3 and will continue till August 3, saw the police detain 320 people and shot 52. Of the 52 suspected robbers shot at, 11 have died.

“We received a call from the family of a detained robbery suspect who feared getting gunned down. We opened this post as an attempt to assist families in their quest for justice ” Shaleh al-Ghifari, a lawyer with LBH Jakarta was quoted by Jakarta Post.