Odd-even in Delhi from November 13-20, classes except 10, 12 shut until Friday
NEW DELHI,NOV 6: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced on Monday that the odd-even car rationing scheme will be implemented in the city from November 13 to November 20 in view of the worsening air quality.
He further said that schools of all classes, excluding 10 and 12, will remain shut till November 10. Earlier, classes from 6 to 12 were “given the option” of going online, even as primary classes were ordered to stay closed till November 10.
Rai said that the earlier ban on BS3 petrol and BS4 diesel cars in Delhi will continue, and there will be no construction-related works in the city.
The odd-even scheme curbs the usage of vehicles based on the last digits of their licence plates. Under it, vehicles with licence plate numbers ending in odd digits (1,3,5,7 and 9) are permitted to ply on roads on odd dates, while those ending in even digits (0,2,4,6 and 8) can run on even dates.
Rai’s announcement came following a high-level meeting on the increasing air pollution in Delhi and the national capital region (NCR), chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Officials of other concerned departments, Delhi Education Minister Atishi and her colleagues Saurabh Bhardwaj and Kailash Gahlot, among others, were also present at the meeting.
Delhi was put under Centre’s Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Sunday amid ‘severe’ air quality. This is the final stage of the anti-pollution plan, and is activated at least three days before the air quality index (AQI) surpasses the 450 mark in the national capital. However, proactive implementation could not happen this time.
In the final stage of the anti-pollution plan, work from home is recommended for 50 per cent of employees of government and private offices. There is also a complete ban on truck entry into Delhi (except for those associated with essential services), and construction works, even public projects. The Stage IV of GRAP also allows state governments to consider implementing additional emergency measures such as closure of colleges and educational institutions and the odd-even rule.
The Delhi Environment Minister said that a decision on work-from-home for 50 per cent of staff in government and private offices in the national capital will be taken later.
Delhi’s air quality turned from the ‘very poor’ to the ‘severe’ category on Friday (November 3), and has remained the same for four straight days. On Monday, the city recorded an overall AQI of 437 at 9 am, according to the Central of Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Most monitoring stations across Delhi recorded over 400 AQI in the ‘severe’ category, the CPCB data showed.
-PTI
