The Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad administration have ordered the suspension of physical classes till Class 12 in all schools due to the deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR. As per the order, studies will continue in online mode due to poor air quality.
The decision was announced as Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was imposed in the Delhi-NCR, which also includes the two western Uttar Pradesh districts. “In view of the above, all schools of the District Gautam Buddh Nagar are directed to adhere to action enlisted under Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan. Accordingly, it is directed that all schools shall discontinue physical classes from Pre-School to Class 12 till November 23 and conduct classes in online mode only,” GB Nagar District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma said in an order.
Similarly, Ghaziabad District Magistrate Indra Vikram Singh issued ordered the same, citing severe pollution levels. “All schools from Class 1 to Class 12 in Ghaziabad will remain closed for offline classes and will operate exclusively in online mode until further notice,” Singh said, according Ghaziabad DM. Highlighting public safety amid rising air pollution, Singh said the order will remain in place until further instructions are provided.
Night-time inspections were carried out at construction sites in Noida to ensure compliance with the ban on construction and demolition activities as per the GRAP orders, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board’s regional officer of Noida Utsav Sharma said. In the wake of the rising air pollution, all schools in Delhi have also been ordered to remain shut except for Classes 10 and 12 until further notice. From November 18, all schools across Delhi discontinued its physical classes except for Class 10 and Class 12. In a tweet on X, the Delhi Chief Minister Atishi added that all schools would hold online classes until further notice.
On Monday, the Supreme Court pulled up the Delhi government over the delay in the implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) stage 4 amid severe air pollution in Delhi-NCR, saying that it will not allow scaling down of the preventive measures without its prior permission. The top court ordered that the Stage 4 restrictions under GRAP will remain in place until further instructions from the court.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih highlighted that there was a delay by the authorities in the implementation of preventive measures under stage 4 GRAP even after the AQI in the national capital touched alarming levels. “The moment the AQI reaches between 300 and 400, stage 4 has to be invoked. How can you take risk in these matters by delaying applicability of stage 4 of GRAP,” the bench told the counsel.
Comments