Noida, Ghaziabad await UP government’s directions on closure of schools

A decision on the educational institutions was expected a day after the Commission for Air Quality Management on late Tuesday issued directions for the closure of schools and colleges in the National Capital Region till further orders in the wake of high pollution levels

A decision to keep schools, colleges and educational institutions in Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad closed will be taken once the state government issues directions in this regard, said officials from the two district administrations on Wednesday.

A student heads home after attending school in Noida on Wednesday. (Sunil Ghosh/Ht photo)

A decision on the educational institutions was expected a day after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on late Tuesday issued directions for the closure of schools and colleges in the National Capital Region (NCR) till further orders in the wake of high pollution levels.

District magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar Suhas L Y issued an order on Wednesday evening stating that schools and colleges will remain closed till November 21. However, the order was rolled back late at night.

“The order in the evening was issued in accordance with the directions given by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board. Since this order was withdrawn, our order automatically stands cancelled. A decision to close schools and colleges will be taken once we receive official communication from the state government,” said Suhas on late Wednesday night.

Vipin Kumar, additional district magistrate of Ghaziabad, also said there were no directions from the state government. “We are awaiting orders and will comply with the directions once received. As of now, there is no order and schools and colleges will open on Thursday,”said Kumar.

On Tuesday, the CAQM directed that all private and government schools, colleges and educational institutions in NCR shall remained closed till further orders.

Educationists said that the CAQM decision on the closure of schools in the wake of high pollution levels is unprecedented.

“We have not received any official communication about closure of schools from the district administration yet. Initially, the closure of schools was due to the pandemic and it has affected studies since last year. Hence, the students have been away from physical classes for a long time . Now, it is the pollution levels which have led the CAQM to order for the closure of schools. This is surely going to affect students and their studies in the long run,” said Jyoti Gupta, director of Delhi Public School, Sahibabad.

In absence of directions by the UP government, schools remained opened in Ghaziabad on Wednesday and is likely to remain open on Thursday as well.

Schools in Gautam Budh Nagar remained open on Wednesday and principals say they did not receive any directions regarding closure of schools. “I read news reports about the directives issued by the CAQM but we have not received any formal communication from the authorities regarding closure of schools. We will be conducting classes as usual on Thursday as well,” said Chhavi Singh, principal at Government Girls Inter College in Badalpur, Gautam Budh Nagar.

Aditi Basu Roy, principal of Grads International School, Greater Noida, and president of the All India Principals’ Association (Gautam Budh Nagar) said closure of schools at this time will adversely affect students’ studies.

“The Class 10 and 12 boards are underway and we also have to complete syllabus for other classes and prepare students for exams. If schools are closed now, it will adversely affect studies as students have only recently regained momentum in grabbing concepts in physical classes, which was difficult in online classes that were held during the pandemic. While Classes 1 to 5 can manage, the studies of students in class 6 and above will be hampered if schools are closed,” she said.

Members of parents’ associations expressed satisfaction with the CAQM decision.

“The decision by CAQM is correct as high pollution levels can affect younger children. Children are yet to get Covid vaccination. So, it is better that they continue with online classes,” said Vivek Tyagi, spokesperson of the Ghaziabad Parents’ Association.

Seizure of old vehicles a major enforcement issue

Directions issued by the CAQM also included strict crackdown against diesel vehicles more than 10 years old and petrol vehicles more than 15 years old.

Officials of state transport department said they will focus on enforcement but will face difficulty in getting land for dumping the seized vehicles.

According to official estimates, the Ghaziabad transport region--comprising Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Hapur and Bulandshahr--have an estimated six lakh diesel vehicles more than 10 years old and petrol vehicles more than 15 years old while the enforcement against these still lack sting.

Officials did not disclose the seizures made till date but said they seized about 170 diesel vehicles, 67 petrol vehicles, 453 vehicles for not having pollution under control (PUC) certificates. It also issued 169 challans against vehicles caught overloading and another 90 vehicles, which were found carrying construction material in the open between November 10 and 15.

Officials said most of the errant vehicle drivers were from Noida and Ghaziabad.

“Both Noida and Ghaziabad are taken on priority basis, due to high levels of pollution. For dump yard, we have a space in Noida Sector-62. We are also trying if some space in Surajpur police line can be allocated for storage of seized vehicles. Likewise, we have also requested the Ghaziabad police to allow storage of seized vehicles at Harsaon police lines,” said Rajeev Srivastava, deputy transport commissioner, Uttar Pradesh.

“The enforcement will continue.We have also asked for diversion of manpower and resources on priority basis to tackle erring vehicle drivers in both districts,” he added.