In light of the deteriorating air quality, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai declared on Monday that the Odd-Even car rationing plan will be put into effect in the city from November 13 to November 20.
He further said that schools of all classes, excluding 10 and 12, will remain shut till November 10. Earlier, classes from 6 to 12 were “given the option” of going online, even as primary classes were ordered to stay closed till November 10.
Rai said that the earlier ban on BS3 petrol and BS4 diesel cars in Delhi will continue, and there will be no construction-related works in the city.
The Odd-Even scheme curbs the usage of vehicles based on the last digits of their licence plates. Under it, vehicles with licence platenumbers ending in odd digits (1,3,5,7 and 9) are permitted to ply on roads on odd dates, while those ending in even digits (0,2,4,6 and 8) can run on even dates.
Rai made the declaration after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a high-level conference on the growing air pollution in Delhi and the national capital region (NCR). Attending the meeting were representatives from several relevant departments, Delhi Education Minister Atishi, and ministers Kailash Gahlot and Saurabh Bhardwaj, among others.
Delhi was put under Centre’s Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Sunday amid ‘severe’ air quality. This is the final stage of the anti-pollution plan, and it is activated at least three days before the air quality index (AQI) surpasses the 450 mark in the national capital. However, proactive implementation could not happen this time.
