Ghaziabad: Just about a dozen car owners decided to leave their vehicles back home during the second car-free day held in Ghaziabad on Thursday. The RWA federation of Ghaziabad, which conducted the event in the Kavi Nagar zone, however, claimed greater public participation and enthusiasm this time.
"Apart from air pollution, we also highlighted the effects of noise pollution caused by honking or idling of engines at traffic intersections. Thirteen car-owners, all residents of Shastri Nagar, went back home to leave their vehicle. The next car-free day will be held in Indirapuram on April 10," said federation head Col T P Tyagi (retd).
The federation members were present at three important locations, including Ramlila grounds, Sector 10 of Raj Nagar and Shastri Nagar crossing. The HapurChungi crossing, which is arguably the busiest traffic intersection, was handled by volunteers of Civil Defence.
Meanwhile, volunteers affixed posters proclaiming, "I'm willing for carpooling", to a number of single-occupancy cars identified by them but only after taking due permission from owners. Buses plying specially for the occasion carried stickers of 'car-free day' on them.
"More people came out to participate in the event on Thursday. The motivation level among residents for the initiative has been extremely high. We expect people to actually shun the use of cars over the long term," said Amar Singh, SP (traffic).
The event kicked off with a street play in the Ramleela ground, highlighting the adverse effects of vehicular pollution on environment. Pamphlets were also distributed among the car users urging them to use non-motorized forms of transport on the tenth10th of every month.
