Delhi Govt's decision on reopening schools, colleges on November 24

NEW DELHI: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai today said the government will take a call on reopening of schools, colleges on November 24 as air quality in Delhi is gradually improving. Delhi schools have been closed till further orders after the Supreme Court termed the air pollution in Delhi an "emergency" situation.

The Delhi Environment Minister held a high-level meeting to review the curbs imposed to contain high pollution levels in the city.

The Delhi government has lifted the ban on construction and demolition activities in view of an improvement in the air quality. However, on Sunday night, the ban on the entry of trucks carrying non-essential items and work-from-home for its employees was extended till November 26 to combat air pollution and minimise its health effects.

Strong surface winds brought some relief from high pollution levels in Delhi and improved visibility on Monday morning, officials said. The air quality index of the city stood at 307, which falls in the very poor category. However, it was down from 349 the previous day. The air quality index of Gurugram, Greater Noida, Faridabad and Noida stood at 318, 213, 326 and 268 respectively.

The Delhi government had on November 13 announced closure of schools and other educational institutions in view of the deteriorating air quality in Delhi. The decision was taken after the Supreme Court slammed the state government for reopening the educational institutions after Diwali.

Schools had reopened for all classes from November 1, after nearly 19 months of closure due to COVID-19.

(With inputs from PTI)