NEW DELHI: The Odd-Even road rationing scheme could be back this winter. Delhi government has said that it is geared up to roll out the scheme if air quality in the capital reaches severe levels.Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot told TOI that a decision on the Odd-Even scheme would be taken by the government after Diwali. He said that the government is fully prepared to implement the scheme if it becomes necessary. “We are ready to implement the Odd-Even scheme and all the effective preparations for it are in place,” Gahlot said.“The scheme is implanted when air quality in the city reaches severe levels for two days. The Odd-Even scheme has been successfully implemented in Delhi earlier and all standard operating procedures are already in place,” a transport department official said.The first time the scheme was implemented was in January last year and a second phase was rolled out in April to tackle rising air pollution in the capital.The scheme is also a part of the graded response action plan that kicked in from Tuesday in the city. The Odd-Even scheme is prescribed for a city when the air quality reaches severe emergency levels.The previous editions of the scheme required immense preparations and a large section of the government machinery had to be mobilised to make it a success. To ensure that motorists follow the Odd-Even rule and don’t take out even numbered vehicles on an odd numbered day, the Delhi government would need the cooperation of the Delhi Police.During the last editions of the scheme, Delhi Police had put additional number of boots on the streets as traffic policemen were deployed in large numbers across the city’s roads to ensure people comply with the rules.Another major role was played by the civil defence volunteers as more than 5,000 volunteers were trained and deployed at major intersections with banners, placards and pamphlets to educate people about the scheme. The volunteers also distributed flowers to those violating the rules instead of confronting them. The government would need to ensure that volunteers in such large numbers are available if it implements the scheme this winter and that they are adequately trained.As the bus fleet of Delhi Transport Corporation has dwindled down to 3,994 and the number of cluster scheme buses is 1,612, the government would need to rope in private chartered buses to ferry passengers.Last year, the government had managed to deploy more than 3,000 such buses as part of ‘Paryavaran Sewa’ even though the figure was expected to be of 6,000 buses.Delhi Metro would also need to deploy more trains or run additional trips to cater to increased rush of commuters.