Determined to make 'odd-even' plan a success in Delhi, CM Arvind Kejriwal records audio message

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday recorded an audio message urging people to give the ‘odd-even’ restriction on plying of vehicles a chance while top officials met to work out its modalities even as the Delhi Police said that they have not yet been approached by the government seeking assistance in enforcement of the rule. Delhi Home Minister Satyender Jain, however, asserted that police is a part of government and “not the government”. It is the police’s responsibility to implement the law enacted by the government, he said. [caption id=“attachment_2434842” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. PTI[/caption] In his message, which will be released on Tuesday, Kejriwal sought the support of the people for the proposal’s success and has said it will be applicable to him and all the ministers as well, a senior government official said. Amid debates over the practicality of the proposed alternate-days rule for plying of vehicles in the streets, Transport Minister Gopal Rai said that the government will come out with a “foolproof plan” before 25 December. Jain also told a TV channel that the odd-even formula will not be applicable on two-wheelers running in the national capital, which was later downplayed by the government, saying the details were yet to be worked out. “The odd-even formula will only be applicable on private cars plying in Delhi. For now, the movement of two-wheelers, taxis, autos will be not be restricted on alternate days under this formula,” the minister told a TV channel. Kejriwal has called a review meeting with concerned ministers and officials on Tuesday wherein the detailed plan will be put before the CM. Ahead of that, a preparatory committee, chaired by Jain that has come up with a detailed report on the matter, met. Jain is also scheduled to meet Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a senior official of Delhi Traffic Police said that there is no clarity till now regarding the legal provisions under which people who violate the odd-even formula will be prosecuted. “They (the government) are yet to approach us for a reasonable discussion on the scheme, which is imperative for its implementation,” he said. Amid all these, the air quality plunged into the ‘severe’ category in places across the city, with real time readings showing PM 2.5 five times above the prescribed limit at times, which has the potential to affect healthy people and “seriously impact” those with existing respiratory ailments. PTI