Air pollution: schools, colleges, closure of 6 thermal power stations in the Delhi NCR, orders from the CAQM

The Air Quality Management Commission (CAQM) released a series of directives on the fight against air pollution in the national capital region on Tuesday evening.Schools, colleges and educational institutions in the NCR will remain closed until further notice, allowing only the online mode of instruction.

NCR state governments have been ordered to allow at least 50% of NCR office staff to work from home (WFH) until Sunday 21 November and to encourage private institutions to follow suit. . At the last hearing of a petition about soaring air pollution levels in Delhi, the Supreme Court said it would like to see action on the issue. "We are calling on the center and states of the National Capital Region to impose home working for now," Chief Justice N. Ramana said.

It was noted that stubble burning contributes only 10% to air pollution in DelhiNCR and said that the "shooting and crying" on the issue is "without any scientific and factual basis". The Supreme Court also ordered the Air Quality Management Commission to hold a joint meeting.

The commission held a assembly on Tuesday with senior officers of Delhi and NCR states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan. “In the assembly, Delhi authorities officers recommended imposing make money working from home coverage in Delhi-NCR, ban on production paintings and ban on industries in order that pollutants degrees may be controlled. The different states have additionally positioned forth their perspectives and we're expecting an respectable notification from the fee,” Delhi surroundings minister Gopal Rai stated in a briefing after the assembly. Delhi’s air fine turned into withinside the ‘very poor’ class for the 1/3 consecutive day on Tuesday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 396. The air fine index in neighbouring towns stood as follows – Ghaziabad (349), Greater Noida (359), Gurgaon (363) and Noida (382) – withinside the morning.