Delhi-NCR suffocates as AQI reaches ‘severe plus’ 500-mark
The air quality across Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram reached critical levels on Tuesday morning, as AQI reached the 500-mark, indicating 'severe plus' conditions.
Amid the prices of onion hitting the roof, reaching up to Rs 100 a kilo in several cities, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said on Tuesday said another 840 MT of onion from the Government’s price stabilisation buffer had arrived in Delhi. The consignment arrived at Kishan Ganj Railway Station here by rail rake dispatched from Nashik by NAFED.
The onions have been allocated to Mother Dairy (500 MT), NCCF (190 MT) and NAFED (150 MT) for retail sale across Delhi – NCR at Rs 35 per kg, it added. As per the ministry statement, one more shipment of 840 MT by rail rake to Amausi, Lucknow is expected in another 2/3 days. Further, another shipment of 720 MT has left Nashik on Monday, and likely to reach Delhi by 21st of November, the Commerce Ministry said in a statement.
A team of officers from Department of Consumer Affairs, NCCF and NAFED has recently visited Nashik to accelerate the nationwide disposal of onions.The government has decided to upscale the onion disposal in order to address temporary constraint in onion supply observed in certain markets in the past 2/3 days owing to festival season and closure of mandis.
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NAFED has indented two more rakes for Delhi-NCR and one for Guwahati this week. Similarly, dispatch through road transport is also being upscaled to ensure availability of onions in the markets. The availability of onions would be further accentuated by more supplies from NCCF, both through rail and road transport. NCCF has also planned for one more rake in the coming week.
This was the fourth shipment that has arrived in Delhi from the price stabilisation. The first shipment of 1,600 MT of onion transported by Kanda Express arrived on October 20, the second shipment of 840 MT arrived on October 30, third shipment of 730 MT on November 12.
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