Pollution On The Rise: Haryana Government Shuts Schools In Four Districts Adjoining NCR

| Updated: 15 November, 2021 5:31 pm IST

CHANDIGARH: Amid increasing levels of pollution in Delhi-NCR, the Haryana government on Sunday ordered closure of all government and private schools till November 17 in four districts adjoining NCR, namely, Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonepat and Jhajjar. The government also announced a host of measures to curb air pollution.

Similar orders have also been passed by the Delhi government to avoid any kind of health issues for children. The order was issued at the behest of the state disaster management authority. According to the order, these guidelines will come into force with immediate effect and remain functional till November 17. ALSO READ: 2022 UP Elections: Congress Places It’s Bets On Going Solo: Priyanka Makes Formal Announcement

The state government has advised all government and private offices to switch over to “work from home” mode as this step is aimed at reducing 30% plying of vehicles on the roads, which will impact vehicular emissions and also reduce dust in the air.

“Vehicles older than 10 to 15 years, be it diesel or petrol, shall be strictly checked with regard to emissions and impounded accordingly,” the order reads.

The government mentioned a total eight different points and also ordered for a complete ban on all construction and development activities. Mechanised stone crushers and hot mix plants used in construction activities are also to be closed immediately. Beside this, there will be a complete ban on trash burning by municipal bodies and the authorities have been asked to keep a strict vigil on stubble burning as well.

In addition to these, the government also banned manual sweeping of roads to control dust pollution and ordered for water sprinkling to be carried out on the roads.

To ensure vigil and compliance, the order states that all concerned deputy commissioners (DCs) will constitute joint inspection teams for enforcing the directions. The orders have been passed by Vijai Vardhan, chief secretary-cum-chairpersons of Haryana state executive committee.

On Sunday, the air quality of Gurugram, Faridabad and Sonepat was poor with index values 287, 298 and 288, respectively. Some of the private school owners requesting anonymity said that they are with the government as the order is only for two days. They said that they have already faced huge losses during Covid lockdown and it was only now that their condition was beginning to get better. “We are limping back to normalcy after facing a huge loss during Covid lockdown. We can bear such an order for two days, but if such orders continue, we will need to discuss the further course of action against such orders,” an owner of a private school said.

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