Air quality in the Delhi-NCR region remained ‘severe’ on Friday, 15 November, for the fourth consecutive day. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said a final call on extending the odd-even scheme would be taken on Monday.
The Delhi High Court, on Thursday, while hearing a suo-moto petition on air pollution in Delhi, pulled up Delhi Government departments and other concerned authorities over the hazardous level of air pollution in the city.
Calling the odd-eve scheme "half-baked," the apex court said it might not be the solution to control the deteriorating air quality in Delhi.
- Schools reopened in Delhi NCR on Wednesday after being shut due to pollution
- The odd-even road space rationing scheme started in Delhi on 4 November will continue for the next two weeks till 15 November
- Delhi’s air quality on 1 November reached ‘emergency’ category for the first time since January
- Delhi govt has procured 50 lakh N95 masks for distribution among all schoolchildren in the state
- An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’ and 401-500 ‘severe’, while the AQI above 500 falls in ‘severe plus’
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SC Asks DPCC to Randomly Check 3-Wheelers Running on Polluting Fuels
Supreme Court has asked Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to randomly check 3 wheelers running on polluting fuels and file report.
Delhi Development Authority, Public Works Department and other civic bodies to co-operate with monitoring committee to ensure implementation of court orders, reported ANI.
After SC Shows Skepticism, Delhi Government Says Odd-Even Works
After the Supreme Court on Friday questioned the scheme’s effectiveness, the Delhi Government said that the odd-even scheme improves air quality by 5-15 percent and that the result will be better if no exemption is given under the scheme.
“Delhi is suffering badly, the Air Quality Index (AQI) is almost 600 even today. How do people breathe?,” the court said, according to ANI.
That stubble burning is the real culprit behind rising pollution levels, it said.
SC Grants Centre 7 Days to Give Reply on Air Cleaning System in Delhi
The Supreme Court has given the Centre seven days to come back with a definite reply on air cleaning system for the city, reports News18.
Final Call on Odd-Even Extension to be Taken on Monday: Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said a final call on extending the odd-even scheme would be taken on Monday, 18 November, PTI reported.
"We do not want people to undergo unnecessary inconvenience," Kejriwal said at a press conference.
"Air quality is predicted to improve over the next two-three days. A final call on extending the odd even scheme will be taken on Monday." he said.
The road-rationing scheme, rolled out on 4 November, ends on Friday.