Atishi announces new timings for government offices amid pollution crisis
In a bid to tackle the worsening air pollution in the city, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi has announced staggered timings for government offices. The move is intended to reduce traffic congestion and pollution. The announcement comes as Delhi's air quality index (AQI) has remained in the "severe" category for the third consecutive day, with a reading of 411 at 9:00am on Friday.
New office hours aim to reduce emissions
As per the new order, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi will function from 8:30am to 5pm, Central Government office will be open from 9am till 5:30pm, and Delhi government offices will be function from 10am to 6:30pm. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had also imposed Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III for Delhi NCR from Friday, including a ban on construction and demolition activities.
GRAP Stage III restrictions imposed amid pollution crisis
Under the GRAP Stage III restrictions, non-essential construction and demolition activities are banned. Stone crushers and mining activities have been halted and inter-state busses from NCR states are prohibited unless they are electric, CNG or BS-VI diesel busses. In light of these restrictions, the Delhi Metro has also ramped up its services by adding 20 extra trips. Further, all Delhi primary schools have moved to online classes till further notice amid increasing pollution.
Delhi surpasses Lahore as world's most polluted city
Delhi topped the list of most polluted cities worldwide on November 14 with an AQI of 451, as per aqi.in. Delhi was followed by Haryana's Sirsa and Faridabad with AQIs of 396 and 386, respectively. Other Indian cities such as Hapur and Ghaziabad also ranked high on the pollution chart. Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, ranked sixth with an AQI of 364, followed by Rohtak, Haryana, with an AQI of 355.
