Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that all schools in Delhi will shift to online classes from Monday and government offices will work from home. He also said that all construction activities in the city will be shut down amid concerns over rising air pollution in the national capital.
For now, the order for government offices to function in work from home mode is for seven days, whereas construction activities adding to pollution will be shut for four days from November 14 to 17, the CM said.
The decisions come after the Supreme Court had pulled up the government earlier in the day with the worsening situation of air pollution as all blame was shifted towards farmers burning stubble. The apex court expressed its dissatisfaction with the analysis, asking the Delhi government and the Centre about their plans to control other factors contributing to pollution.
The SC had asked for emergency response and even suggested a two-day lockdown prompting CM Kejriwal to call for an emergency meeting. Addressing the media, he said, "For a week from Monday onwards, schools will be physically closed (they can continue virtually) so children don't have to breathe polluted air. Construction activities will not be allowed between November 14 and 17".
He further added, "Government offices will operate from home (WFH) at 100 percent capacity for a week. Private offices will be issued an advisory to go for WFH option as much as possible".
Beginning with Diwali last week, Delhi and the surrounding areas – Gurgaon, Noida, and Ghaziabad have been facing severely polluted air with air quality dipping close to the 'severe' category. In a blatant violation of the Delhi government's orders, people in these areas burst crackers contributing to the deteriorating air quality.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, at 6.30 pm the overall AQI in Delhi was 427.
Notably, AQI readings in excess of 400 are considered 'severe' or 'hazardous' and the polluted air has high concentrations of PM2.5 particles at this level, capable of causing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases such as lung cancer.
