Odd-even sees row over landfill fires

The seventh day of the oddeven scheme on Thursday saw Delhi's ruling AAP and the opposition BJP locked in verbal sparring over fires at different landfill sites, which the AAP claimed was being deliberately stoked to increase pollution and thereby sabotage the traffic scheme.

In response to fires at the Bhalswa and Gazipur landfill sites and at the Yamuna flood plains, the Delhi government formed a fourmember committee to probe the incidents. Pollution levels dipped marginally on Thursday which also saw the transport department challan 104 people for violations of the odd-even scheme till 2 p.m.

With Thursday being a working day, there was congestion in some parts of the city roads despite the road rationing scheme. Metro officials said there was no significant change in the number of commuters using the service compared to the past two days. The second phase began on April 15 and will continue till April 30. The first phase of the scheme was held between January 1 and 15 this year.

Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai alleged that efforts were being made "in a planned way" to see that the second leg of the odd-even traffic scheme does not succeed.

"Be it fires at landfill sites or the strike of auto-taxi drivers, planned efforts are being made to fail our oddeven scheme which is aimed at battling pollution," Rai told reporters. He said the government has constituted a four-member panel to probe incidents at Bhalswa and Gazipur landfill sites and at Yamuna flood plains.

"The committee will be headed by member secre- tary Delhi Pollution Control Committee Kulanand Joshi and it will submit its report in three days," Rai said.

He added that the fires at landfill sites would directly add to the pollution levels.

In the morning, Rai's party colleague Dilip Pandey accused the BJP of trying to sabotage the odd-even scheme.

"The BJP is stooping to the lowest in Delhi to fail odd-even. MCD burning dump yards, creating health hazard. BJP pollutes Delhi," Pandey tweeted.

He attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue.-IANS