New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Friday announced that with GRAP III curbs for air pollution kicking in, classes in Delhi schools for children up to Class 5 will be held in a ‘Hybrid’ mode – both in physical and online mode – and curbs will be imposed on the plying of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles.
He said that since wind speed is expected to go down further from Saturday, adversely impacting the AQI, it is the collective responsibility of all citizens to adhere to the relevant rules and measures to join the government in fighting pollution under GRAP III.
Earlier, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Sub-Committee on Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) decided to invoke Stage III in Delhi NCR as a precautionary measure, an official said on Friday.
The Air Quality Index data released by the CPCB on November 6 at 4 p.m. showed Delhi’s air to be in the “Very Poor” category with an index value of 382, based on the average of the past 24 hours.
The report said 57 stations took part in the AQI assessment exercise and identified PM 2.5 as the prominent pollutant.
Apart from restrictions on construction and demolition activities, GRAP III will require state governments in the NCR and the GNCTD to mandatorily conduct classes in schools for children up to Class 5 in a “Hybrid” mode – both in physical and online mode (wherever online mode is feasible) in the territorial jurisdiction of the NCT of Delhi and in the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar.
The GRAP III also requires authorities to close down operations of stone crushers in the entire NCR; close down all mining and associated activities in the entire NCR; and NCR State governments and GNCTD to impose strict restrictions on the plying of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel LMVs (4-wheelers) in Delhi and in the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar.
Under GRAP III, NCR state governments/GNCTD need to take a decision on allowing public, municipal and private offices to work at 50 per cent strength and the rest to work from home.
The Central Government may also take appropriate decisions on permitting work from home for employees in central government offices.
On November 2, the CAQM had invoked GRAP II across Delhi and the entire National Capital Region with immediate effect after Delhi’s daily average Air Quality Index (AQI) rose to 324, placing it in the ‘Very Poor’ category.
–IANS
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