Air pollution ‘chokes’ NCR, Primary schools in remain shut on Wednesday
As thick smog engulfs the city, people in Delhi gasped for fresh air. The government on Tuesday announced all primary schools- private and public to remain closed for Wednesday. In view of the deteriorating air quality in the city, all schools were advised to stop outdoor activities, including morning assemblies, said Delhi's Deputy Minister Manish Sisodia Similarly the District Magistrate of Ghaziabad, Ritu Maheshwari tweeted that due to the high levels of air pollution, all schools up to Class 5 will remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday. She also ordered builders, the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) and the civic body to stop all construction works for at least a week, as per reports. Delhi's air quality was at the season's worst today as a combined effect of smoke from stubble burning and moisture turned the city into a "gas chamber" leaving people gasping and prompting authorities to announce a four-fold hike in parking fees among a series of sweeping measures. Poor visibility hampered flight operations, leading to delays in schedule of over 300 flights by up to two hours as only one of the three runways could be used while around 25 Delhi-bound trains were delayed. The air quality index was in the 'severe', with a score of 448 in a scale of 500, category for the second time this year. Earlier, Diwali fireworks had triggered peak pollution levels on October 20. -PTC News
