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Delhi keeps its odd-even promise. Twitter, Kejriwal overwhelmed

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DailyBiteJan 01, 2016 | 22:58

Delhi keeps its odd-even promise. Twitter, Kejriwal overwhelmed

Delhiwalas have been hailed by all and sundry as the first day of the #OddEvenPlan went off without a hiccup, much to our collective disbelief. New year's day saw mostly odd-numbered cars ply on the much-relieved roads of the national capital, with only a few private vehicles with even number plates making their presence felt.

The most-polluted city in the world got cheers from other than CM Arvind Kejriwal, when in the evening, he tweeted the famous words from John Lennon's Imagine.

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The euphoria of Delhiites and the slightly more breathable air was received by citizens and journalists with tremendous excitement. Many cited the concerted and collective efforts by Delhi men, women, children and volunteers, policemen as well as the ministers and bureaucrats themselves as "historic" and "unprecedented".

That a government-imposed rule would be embraced with such enthusiasm and positivity by the people of Delhi took many by surprise, but then, others found echoes of the landslide Assembly elections all over again. Reports suggested that only 10 per cent of the cars were actually even numbered, and most had valid reasons for exemption.

However, there were some who sounded cautionary notes and said that the real test of the #OddEvenPlan would only happen on Monday, when the schools and offices in the capital reopen after the new year weekend. In addition, there were the customary terse reactions from "bhakts", who disavowed the whole plan as yet another gimmick by Kejriwal.

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However, on the whole, January 1, 2016 started and ended on a high. The air was palpably cleaner at the end of it, even though the lungs would need a few more months to start resembling their healthier counterparts in relatively less polluted regions of the world.

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Last updated: January 01, 2016 | 23:05
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