Exempted, but many women opt to comply

NEW DELHI: Women drivers are exempted from the odd-even scheme that took off in Delhi on Monday but many of them voluntarily complied with the initiative in light of Delhi’s worsening air pollution problem.

Swati Janu, an architect, was one of them. On Monday, Janu chose to take the metro from her residence in south Delhi’s Green Park to her workplace near Vasant Kunj, leaving her car behind.

“Any scheme to curb vehicular traffic is not just a good idea but a necessity. As a woman, I find it safer to drive around in the city but I try to travel by metro whenever possible for three reasons. Because it’s less polluting, it’s more sustainable and because driving in Delhi has become a nightmare today. Though the odd even scheme exempts women, it’s good to contribute voluntarily on our part,” she said.

Lauding the Delhi government’s initiative to make bus rides free for women that took off last week, Sakshi Agarwal, a marketing executive based in south Delhi’s Saket, said, “This initiative has the potential to encourage more women to leave behind their cars and opt for public transport during odd-even. It would be great if the scheme is extended to Delhi metro too.”

On Monday, Agarwal too took a bus to her workplace in New Friends Colony.

Several women passengers, however, chose to make use of the exemption. The reasons, they pointed out, ranged from inadequate frequency of the public transport system and lack of last-mile connectivity in the routes connecting their residences with their workplaces.

Principal of Hindu college Anju Shrivastav on Monday used her oddnumbered vehicle to travel to north campus from her house in Safdarjung Enclave neighbourhood. “Time management is essential in a job like mine. Though travelling by metro is also convenient, many working women like me prefer taking a car so that they can make calls and go through important documents during their commute. This is generally not possible if one were to use public transport.”