Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai Calls Meeting Today, Decision To Be Taken On Reopening Primary Schools

NEW DELHI: Gopal Rai, the minister of environment for Delhi, will preside over a high-level conference on Monday to address the new guidelines issued by the Centre’s air quality body about the revocation of limitations put in place under the graded response action plan’s final stage, according to authorities. At the meeting, it is expected that a decision will be made to reopen primary schools and to cancel the directive requesting that 50% of the government workforce work remotely.

The final step of the Graded Response Action Plan’s restriction on trucks entering the city and the use of non-BS VI diesel-powered light motor vehicles in Delhi-NCR were directed to be lifted by the Centre’s air quality panel on Sunday. Three days ago, the limitations were put in place. On Thursday, the Commission of Air Quality Management ordered authorities to prohibit trucks from entering the national capital and the operation of non-BS VI diesel light motor vehicles in the city and surrounding NCR districts as part of anti-pollution measures under stage IV of GRAP as Delhi’s air quality index soared to 450, just one notch short of the “severe plus” category.

The Delhi government announced extra steps on Friday in response to the severe pollution, including the closure of elementary schools beginning on Saturday and the implementation of work-from-home policies for 50% of its workforce. On Sunday, the capital’s air quality slightly improved and fell into the “extremely poor” category, prompting the CAQM to order officials to remove the limitations. The Delhi administration must decide whether to revoke the ban on working from home and reopen the elementary schools.