Odd-even: South Delhi records most violations; 2,685 fines till Jan 12

Posh south Delhi recorded the most violations of the AAP government’s odd-even rule to limit vehicular pollution during the first twelve days of a trial period, official data show.

The road space rationing experiment kicked off on January 1 as one of the primary measures to clear the city’s toxic air that has been making international headlines.

Till January 12, traffic police had fined 2,685 errant drivers of which 863 were caught in south Delhi. The west district is second with 663 violators.

Few flouted the rule in areas like India Gate and other parts of New Delhi district which saw very high police presence.

Just 14 drivers defied the regulation at Barakhamba Road and Parliament House circle while Tilak Marg circle, which also includes India Gate, saw only nine drivers being penalised, according to traffic police figures.

“In the last four days, not a single violation has been recorded at Tilak Marg circle. There is a high level of compliance,” said a police officer.

Between January 1 and 15, those driving cars with licence plates ending with an even number will only be allowed on the roads on even-numbered dates while those driving cars with licence plates ending in an odd number will be permitted to drive on the other days.

The least number of breaches were reported from north and central Delhi. Special commissioner of police (traffic) Muktesh Chander, who has been closely supervising the odd-even run, argued that south Delhi has seen the most violations because drivers from these posh parts do not mind paying the Rs 2,000 penalty unlike residents of less-opulent neighbourhoods

The figures, though, do not confirm how many of the drivers penalised in south Delhi are also residents of the area.

However, traffic officials said because the violators were caught all across south Delhi within minutes of starting their journey, it can be said that they are residents of the district and nearby areas.

The highest number of private four-wheelers registered last year in the city was also in south Delhi, government data reveal.

Of the 2.6 million car registrations, more than 1 million were registered in the transport zonal offices of south Delhi. Outer Delhi saw the least number of private car registrations at about 71,000.