Nagpur: The commission for air quality management on late Tuesday night directed that all schools and colleges in Delhi and nearby cities should be closed till further notice.
This development comes after the National Capital Region has been struggling with smog that has blanketed the whole city and is causing unrest amongst the population. The order further said that educational institutions will therefore return to online mode, the way it was being held during the Covid-19 lockdown. A nine-page order issued by the CAQM advised governments of Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh to allow 50 per cent of staff to work from home till at least November 21.
Apart from closing down schools and colleges, heavy penalties will be charged on persons or organisations responsible for stacking construction materials or even waste on roads in the NCR. Construction activities and demolition projects across Delhi have been stalled till November 21, exceptions made for railway services/ stations, metro operations, airports or defence-related activities.
The CAQM said that they are expecting the air quality in Delhi to remain in the ‘very poor’ category and could slip into the ‘severe’ category in a few coming days.
