New Air Quality Rules In Delhi And NCR: Schools And Public Offices To Face Major Disruptions – Details Inside

The Centre's pollution watchdog, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), has revised the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to make it mandatory for schools in Delhi and surrounding NCR districts to close under Stage 3 and Stage 4 of the plan. Previously, it was up to state governments to decide whether to implement these measures, as reported by Times Now.

The new guidelines, issued on Wednesday, affect Delhi and the NCR districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddh Nagar. Schools in these areas will be required to close due to hazardous air quality under both Stage 3 and Stage 4 of the plan.

The revised GRAP also mandates that public offices and municipal bodies in Delhi and the aforementioned NCR districts stagger their operating hours under Stage 3. For other districts in the NCR, the decision regarding office timings will remain with the respective state governments.

This revision comes after the Supreme Court recently reprimanded the CAQM for delaying the enforcement of Stage 3 and Stage 4 measures. The Court emphasised the urgent need for action to combat the worsening pollution levels in the region. It also directed the CAQM to adopt stricter measures, ensuring that local authorities no longer have the discretion to delay or modify the measures.

Under the previous GRAP guidelines, state governments had the option to halt physical classes for students up to Class 5 during Stage 3 and for students in Classes 6 to 9 and 11 during Stage 4, switching to online learning instead. However, the new regulations make school closures mandatory for Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddh Nagar.

As of Wednesday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi remained in the severe category, with a 24-hour average of 419, showing slight improvement from the previous days when the AQI reached levels over 450.