Delhi governments's odd-even formula kicks off today

The Delhi government's big experiment to get private cars off the roads to check pollution levels in the national capital kicks off on Friday.Starting on a trial basis for fifteen days, cars with odd-numbered licence plates will only be allowed on the roads on odd-numbered dates and those with even-numbered plates on the others from 8am to 8 pm. Though the rule will not apply on Sundays.Aimed at reducing pollution levels across the city, the initiative will run for an initial two-week trial period after which the government will take a call on extending it. The government also plans to shut down some coal-fired power plants and vacuuming roads to reduce dust to combat the rising levels of pollution.The Delhi government has said that the scheme could be introduced on a more permanent basis if it is a success. To send a strong message to people, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet ministers will carpool to work and use public transport.Kejriwal will share his car with Transport Minister Gopal Rai and PWD Minister Satyendra Jain while Environment Minister Imran Hussain and Social Welfare Minister Sandeep Kumar will take an auto and a bus, respectively, to Delhi Secretariat. Kejriwal, Jain and Kumar live in North Delhi's Civil Line area. Kejriwal had recently said he and his cabinet ministers will carpool to work and follow the rules of the odd-even scheme.Urging Delhiites to cooperate, he had earlier said, "This plan will only be successful when it becomes a very big movement, when people will want to obey it from their heart. Don't do it because Kejriwal says so, don't do it because the government is forcing you. Do it because you feel it is important for your life, your health."Also Read: The essential tools to help you handle Delhi's odd-even experimentA 2014 WHO survey of more than 1,600 cities ranked Delhi as the most polluted, partly because of the 8.5 million vehicles on its roads. Just under three million of these are private cars or vans, and another 1,400 are added every day.The city has been shrouded in a toxic blanket of smog in recent weeks as winter sets in and cooler temperatures trap pollutants in the atmosphere, pushing harmful PM 2.5 levels sky-high. These fine particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter are linked to higher rates of chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and heart disease after settling into lungs and pass into the bloodstream.Thousands of civil defence volunteers are being be deployed to assist the Traffic Police, enforcement teams of Delhi government's transport department and authorised sub-divisional magistrates, to implement the scheme. The violators of the scheme will be fined Rs 2,000.Delhi's government has also hired 3,000 private buses to provide and has ensured extra metro rides to cope with the extra rush due to lesser cars. Schools have been ordered to remain closed until the trial ends so that their buses can be pressed into action.However, political blame game continues over the government's plan. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has claimed that the formula is bound to fail, the Aam Aadmi Party has accused the Central government of putting efforts to sabotage the state government's initiative.