Odisha districts start odd-even scheme to contain Covid-19 spread

Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) started the odd-even scheme in the city by allowing public transport vehicles like buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws with odd registration numbers.

Several cities in Odisha, including Bhubaneswar, have ordered the implementation of the odd-even road rationing scheme from Saturday for government-run buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws to contain the spread of Covid-19.

There will be no restriction on plying of private vehicles, government-owned or hired vehicles, emergency service vehicles and vehicles hired by private hospitals(Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

However, there will be no restriction on plying of private vehicles, government-owned or hired vehicles, emergency service vehicles and vehicles hired by private hospitals including those used for transportation of doctors and paramedical staff.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) started the odd-even scheme in the city by allowing public transport vehicles like buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws with odd registration numbers.

On even-numbered days, only even-numbered vehicles would be allowed, an official order of the BMC said.

The local administration in Keonjhar district also implemented the odd-even scheme for vehicles in five municipal areas of Barbil, Joda, Champua, Keonjhar and Anandpur.

In Mayurbhanj district, the local administration implemented the odd-even formula in four Notified Area Councils of Baripada, Udala, Rairangpur, and Karanjia.

Two people in Odisha have Covid-19 as the number of patients across the country rose to 258, the government said on Saturday.

Meanwhile, villagers in Keonjhar district forcibly kept a man who had returned from Dubai in isolation to prevent the possible spread of the virus.

The man who came back on March 17 had been staying with his father-in-law in Gambharia village under Town Police limits of the district.

Once the villagers came to know about the man’s travel history, they asked him to undergo a test. When he refused to undergo the test, they forced him in quarantine at his home.

A team of doctors reached the village on Friday and took his blood and swab samples. The results are yet to come.