Delhi eases pollution-related curbs; schools, govt offices to reopen on Nov 29

Entry of CNG and electric trucks carrying non-essential items from other states into New Delhi will be allowed from Saturday. The ban on petrol and diesel trucks, however, will remain in place until December 3

Delhi’s environment minister Gopal Rai announced the easing of pollution-related curbs in a phased manner on Wednesday. Schools, colleges and educational institutions will open on November 29, along with government offices, whose employees have been working from home.

An anti-smog gun sprays water droplets to curb air pollution along the New Delhi-Gurugram expressway on Wednesday. (PTI)

The measures were imposed by the government last week to tackle the escalating pollution crisis in the Capital.

Entry of CNG and electric trucks carrying non-essential items from other states into New Delhi will be allowed from Saturday, the minister said. The ban on petrol and diesel trucks, however, will remain in place until December 3.

“For the last three days, we have observed a reduction in the pollution levels in Delhi. We have decided to ease the restrictions, but a strict watch will be kept on the sources [of pollution],” Rai told reporters.

The state government and affiliated offices had switched to work-from-home mode for their staff since November 17 to cut down on the use of private vehicles.

The minister said that the government is providing special shuttle buses from the secretariat to nearby metro stations to encourage people to use the metro instead of their own vehicles.

“Construction activities have already been allowed, but we are keeping a close watch on the sites. If any violation is found, we will temporarily ban operations and impose heavy fines,” Rai said.

The minister said that till Wednesday, 1,221 construction sites were inspected by 585 teams deployed by the government across Delhi, with 105 sites shut down for violating dust-related norms.

“These sites were not adhering to the 14-point guideline we had issued. They have been shut down and a penalty has also been imposed,” Rai said.

After a slew of pollution control measures were implemented by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the Delhi-NCR region and adjoining areas on November 16, the Delhi government imposed restrictions, extended a ban on the entry of trucks, continued to keep schools shut, and allowed its employees to work from home in a fresh order released last Sunday.

Sudha Acharya, the chairperson of the National Progressive School’s Conference, which has over 120 private schools in New Delhi as its members, welcomed the government’s decision to resume in-person classes in school. Acharya said that schooling had been disrupted due to constant closures and it was necessary for students to return to classrooms.

“The reopening of schools was much needed. Students have stayed away from school for a very long time and it’s time that they return to the classrooms,” said Acharya, principal of ITL Public School, Dwarka.

The Delhi government’s decision came on a day when the city’s air quality began to deteriorate as wind speeds slowed down over the Capital. New Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was “poor” on Tuesday - for the first time since November 1 - with a reading of 290 recorded, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s 4pm bulletin. The AQI reading shot up to 365 – in the “very poor” category - at 2pm on Wednesday.

Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said New Delhi will continue to see variations in the air quality, with meteorological factors playing a key role. To counter that, it is important to ensure strict vigilance so that extreme curbs don’t need to be imposed again, she said.

“Air quality will improve and worsen all through this winter now, but it is important that adequate measures are taken in advance so that we don’t reach those severe [pollution] levels. Pollution from construction sites and garbage burning can easily be controlled. We also need to see what can be done to reduce emissions from the vehicular sector. While the government is trying to promote public transport, it is also turning out to be a big challenge,” she said.