SC to hear pollution cases related to Delhi, other cities today
The Supreme Court will expand its focus on air pollution to other cities in India during a hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Delhi Air Pollution News: As Delhi reels under “severe” air pollution, the government has announced early winter break for schools in the national capital from November 9 to 18. The Delhi Directorate of Education Wednesday said that schools will remain closed in the national capital as weather office predicted “no respite from adverse weather conditions” over the next few days.
The decision to announce early winter break in Delhi schools was taken during a meeting chaired by the Union Territory’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai. The meeting was also attended by Education Minister Atishi, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot and senior Delhi government officials.
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The government considered health warning issues by experts due to the toxic smog that has engulfed the city over the last few days. In a normal course, winter break in Delhi schools is observed in December and January. The environment minister has also directed schools to suspend all physical classes, except for Class 10 and 12, till Friday in order to protest children’s health.
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The meeting was called a day after Supreme Court criticised the Delhi government, terming its Odd-Even policy to tackle air pollution as “mere optics” without any substantial result. “Have you evaluated how it worked in previous years? Such schemes are only optics,” the court said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a thick toxic haze or ‘smog’ continued to hang heavy over the national capital as the air quality remained in the ‘severe’ category on Wednesday, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) informed.
According to the data shared by the CPCB, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Anand Vihar was recorded at 452, while it was at 433, 460, 382, and 413 at RK Puram, Punjabi Bagh, Sri Aurobindo Marg and Shadipur, all in the ‘severe’ category.
Several residents and commuters in the national capital complained of breathing problems and urged the government and the authorities concerned to mobilise steps to curb the runaway air pollution at the earliest.
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