Delhi AQI poor, GRAP-3 restrictions return to Delhi-NCR, hybrid mode up to class 5

New Delhi:

The GRAP-III recommendations were reimposed in Delhi and the National Capital Region following “very adverse weather conditions, including calm winds and very low mixing height”, the Commission said on Monday afternoon. air quality management.

Under GRAP-III, all schools in Delhi-NCR must move to a hybrid class mode for students up to Class V, and there will be restrictions on the entry of diesel commercial vehicles.

A hybrid course mode means that students and parents can choose between online and in-person classes, depending on the availability of infrastructure such as computers and internet at home.

Commercial vehicles with engines below BS-IV certification cannot ply, except those used for emergency purposes or to provide essential services, and goods transporters registered outside the national capital cannot , until further notice, enter the city if their engine is below the BS. -Mark IV.

Government offices in Delhi and neighboring states will stagger working hours, with the central government likely to implement a similar measure for its offices in the national capital.

As of 2:30 p.m., the city’s AQI was 366, which is at the upper end of the “very poor” category. This is a sharp increase from seven days ago; on December 7, there were 233, who classified it as “moderate.”

And three days ago, Delhi’s AQI was 211.

The improvement in air quality allowed the Supreme Court, on December 5, to authorize the CAQM to relax the anti-pollution measures of GRAP-IV, the strictest of a response action plan graduated in four stages intended to combat the deterioration of air pollution in the National Capital Region. .

Last month, air quality in and around Delhi was consistently in the ‘severe’ and ‘very poor’ category, prompting health professionals to issue annual health warnings and trigger a rush case before the Supreme Court seeking directions to the government.

Over the past few weeks, Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih have held several hearings on the annual air quality crisis, examining issues ranging from farm fires (i.e. farmers burning agricultural waste) to ineffective bans on polluting vehicles. .

In some cases, the court criticized authorities for failing to comply with the law; for example, when GRAP-IV was in effect, the court criticized authorities for continuing to permit non-essential construction activities that are not permitted at that time. The court also had questions for the Delhi government for failing to prevent vehicles carrying non-essential goods from entering the city.

The court also questioned the Delhi government and the CAQM, a central government committee, for not ordering stricter anti-pollution measures once the AQI crossed the 300 mark.

The Supreme Court – which hears cases every year bemoaning Delhi’s air quality – has been equally critical this year, particularly after the post-Diwali deterioration which is, again, an annual deterioration and predictable from the AQI after many city residents flouted the ban on firecrackers.

During a previous hearing, the court deplored the bursting of firecrackers and severely attacked the government and the police, saying that “no religion encourages any activity that generates pollution.”

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.