Odd-even scheme: Offenders may have to pay Rs 20k in Delhi

Agencies

September 19, 2019

New Delhi, Sept 19: Violation of the odd-even road rationing rule, scheduled to kick in from November 4 in the city, will invite a fine of Rs 20,000 as per the amended Motor Vehicles Act, officials said on Thursday.

The odd-even scheme involves plying of vehicles on alternate days as per the last odd or even digit of their registration numbers.

Earlier, when the odd-even scheme was imposed by the Delhi government in January and April 2016, the violation was punishable with a fine of Rs 2,000.

However, a final decision on the size of penalty has not been made since the notification of compoundable offences under the amended MV Act is yet to be notified by the Delhi government, an official said.

"The government is authorised to reduce the amount of fine which it may or may not do, " said the official.

Under Section 115 of the MV Act, violation of the odd-even rule is a traffic offence for which the fine amount has been raised from Rs 2,000 to Rs 20,000 after amendment which came into effect from September 1 this year.

Section 115 of the MV Act gives the state government the power to restrict the use of vehicles and that is how the Delhi government rolls out the odd-even scheme.

Now, the revised penalty for violation under this section is mentioned in Clause 194 of the Act. Earlier, the Act stated that the penalty was a minimum of Rs 2,000, which has now been increased to Rs 20,000.

Recently, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced implementation of the odd-even scheme in Delhi as part of the seven point action plan from November 4-15, to combat high levels of air pollution in winters.

He had also acknowledged that the high penalty amount has improved indisciplined road traffic in the city, but had added that his government will consider reducing fines under its jurisdiction.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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