New Delhi: The Delhi government's effort to iron out the rough spots for MPs on their first tryst with the odd-even formula of vehicle rationing currently in place in the capital got a thumbs down both inside and outside Parliament on Monday, with members across the political spectrum demanding exemption while a session was on.
Though the odd-even formula is in its second phase - the first was in January - this is the first time it is in force when Parliament is in session.
With some members facing problems last week in commuting for parliamentary committee meetings, the Delhi government had pressed into service six air-conditioned DTC buses called "MP Specials".
But these buses had few takers as MPs preferred the routine door-to-door ferry service - a pick-up and drop facility run by Parliament. Congress MP B.K. Hariprasad, who usually drives to Parliament, said he took the ferry service on Monday as he had an even-number car. Monday being April 25, only odd-number cars were allowed to hit the roads.
"The DTC buses had designated pick-up points like North Avenue, South Avenue, Akbar Road, Ashoka Road etc, but how was one to reach there?" Hariprasad asked.
Actor-turned-BJP MP Paresh Rawal made it to Parliament in an even-number car but owned up his mistake publicly with a tweet: "Made a serious blunder by travelling in a odd number car to parliament... sorry to Arvind ji n Delhiite..." He later paid the fine and posted images of the challan online. He mixed up "even" with "odd" in the tweet.
A couple of BJP MPs - Arjun Ram Meghwal and Anil Dave - cycled to Parliament. But Meghwal cycling to Parliament pre-dates the odd-even formula as he has long been known to pedal his way to the House.
With the "MP Special" buses finding few takers, Delhi transport minister Gopal Rai announced late in the evening that four of the six vehicles would be revert to the DTC fleet from tomorrow. "Keeping in view Mondays's experience and following consultations with the concerned officials in both Houses of Parliament, it has been decided that two buses will be retained as shuttles for MPs."
Rai had earlier met Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari soon after members demanded exemption from the formula.
The general drift of their submissions was that most MPs had only one vehicle in Delhi and, therefore, should be exempt from the odd-even rationing when the House was in session.
Since only security-checked vehicles - complete with the radio frequency tags issued by the secretariats of the two Houses - are allowed inside the main gates, the MPs contended that taxis and even the "MP Special" buses ordered by the Delhi government were inconvenient.
The issue came up in the Lok Sabha, too, with MP Rajesh Ranjan wondering aloud who stood to benefit from the vehicle rationing scheme since by all indications it had not made any impact on pollution - the primary reason for introduci