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The Centre's pollution watchdog on Wednesday revised the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), mandating the closure of schools in Delhi and NCR districts under Stages 3 and 4 of the plan.
Previously, the decision to implement these measures was left to the discretion of the state governments.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and adjoining areas on Wednesday revised the GRAP, mandating the closure of schools in Delhi and the NCR districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddh Nagar under Stages 3 and 4.
An additional directive under Stage 3 of the GRAP now requires the state governments to stagger the timings of public offices and municipal bodies in Delhi and the aforementioned NCR districts.
For other NCR districts, the decision on office timings remains at the discretion of the respective state governments, according to the order.
Previously, under Stage 3, the state governments could decide whether to halt physical classes for the students up to Class 5 and transition to online learning.
Similarly, under Stage 4, they had the option to discontinue in-person classes for the students in classes 6 to 9 and 11.
However, the revised GRAP now makes these measures mandatory for Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar, while allowing other NCR districts the flexibility to decide, it said.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court reprimanded the CAQM for delaying the implementation of Stages 3 and 4 of the GRAP and emphasized the immediate need for closure of schools across NCR until further orders.
The Supreme Court also directed the CAQM to adopt stricter measures under Stages 3 and 4, ensuring that implementation is no longer left to the discretion of local authorities.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital has been in the severe category since Sunday. On Monday and Tuesday, it escalated to the Severe Plus category, with readings exceeding 450. However, there was slight improvement on Wednesday, as the 24-hour average AQI stood at 419, still within the severe category.
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