For most Indian homes, Diwali is a very private affair, where people meet and greet relatives or celebrate in a nuclear family. This time, Diwali being a weekend, has also triggered a massive travel rush among people, who live far away from their families and don’t often get leaves on this major festival day.
The downside is, seeing the dates and the major rush, most airlines, cab operators have peaked their fares, robbing the opportunity from some, who cannot pay the expanded sum in travel. However, in a country of 1.4 billion, the number that can pay, has anyway hiked the fares.
Apart from traffic snarls, and travel rush, this Diwali, Delhi and Mumbai are also battling a couple of more challenges such as pollution, which has forced the government to start an odd-even formula for vehicle plying in Delhi. On the other side, some parts of Mumbai are battling over power crisis, which has triggered a protest among local traders over loss of business.
Let’s Look At Some Diwali Highlights
Odd-Even Rule in Delhi
Keeping in mind that pollution might surge right after Diwali, Delhi government has decided to impose an odd-even rule for cars from November 13 to November 20. The meeting of the implementation is, however, due today.
The odd-even rule of Delhi government is a traffic curb under which private vehicles with registration numbers ending with an odd digit will be allowed on roads on odd dates and those with an even digit on even dates.
The decision to impose the odd-even rule for cars came out of the meeting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal chaired on Monday over deteriorating air quality in the city and its adjoining areas, which is being attributed to stubble burning in neighbouring states and firecrackers.
Flight Fare Double During Diwali
Travelers flying non-stop from Mumbai to northern states this Diwali are facing exorbitant airfares, necessitating significant financial commitment.
Destinations in northern states like Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand are experiencing remarkably high ticket prices, leaving passengers with little choice but to allocate substantial funds for their festive travel.
Among these, Ranchi and Raipur stand out as the most expensive, with return fares from Mumbai soaring to an astounding Rs 40,000 in the latter part of October. Even journeys to cities like Prayagraj, Patna, Lucknow, Gaya, Darbhanga, and Agra are costing passengers upwards of Rs 30,000.
On the other hand, travelers heading south to popular destinations like Goa, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, and Hyderabad have more budget-friendly options, with return fares remaining under Rs 10,000, even with Diwali rapidly approaching.
MCD Forms Panel to Monitor Work Under Its Winter Action Plan
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has formed a committee to monitor the work being done under its Winter Action Plan to curb severe air pollution in the city, officials said on Monday. The monitoring committee will check the implementation of the measures suggested by the civic body to curb cases of open burning, illegal construction and demolition waste dumping and dust on roads under its jurisdiction.
“The MCD has directed the implementation of restrictions under GRAP-IV across its 12 zones. We have set up a monitoring team which will look after the work being done by the surveillance teams on the ground,” Mayor Shelly Oberoi said in a press conference. The civic body had constituted 517 surveillance teams comprising 1,119 officers to implement its Winter Action Plan. Oberoi said the civic body has identified 13 hotspots where the air quality index is the highest and was working on curbing the air pollution in these areas.
Firecrackers Allowed Between 7pm and 10pm in Mumbai
As Mumbai grapples with air pollution ahead of Diwali, the Bombay High Court on Monday took suo motu cognizance in the matter and mandated that firecrackers be burst only between 7 pm and 10 pm to limit their contribution to air pollution.
It also deployed 8 municipal officials to ensure that the time limit is not violated. The court also stated in its order that all construction debris should carried to or out of the construction site in fully covered trucks till November 10.
The high court further stated that only ready-mix concrete should be transported to the construction sites adding that it will decide on the future course of action on Friday after seeing the air quality over this week.
Karnataka Sets Cracker-bursting Time Between 8pm and 10pm
In its recent announcement, the Karnataka state government has instructed officials to limit the use of fireworks during the Deepawali festival to the hours of 8pm to 10pm. This directive follows a tragic incident in Attibele, where a cracker storage facility caught fire, resulting in the loss of 17 lives.
Comments
0 comment