Delhi’s AQI at ‘severe +’; trucks banned, in-person classes suspended as GRAP-4 kicks in

Severe restrictions under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) will be in place in Delhi from 8 am on Monday in view of worsening air quality levels in the national capital.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Sunday (November 17) issued an order for implementation of GRAP-4 as the city’s air quality dipped to ‘severe +’ category for the first time this season with the Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 441 at 4 pm and rising to 457 by 7 pm.

In-person classes suspended

Soon after the order, the Delhi government announced that in-person classes will be suspended for all except for students of classes 10 and 12.

The Directorate of Education directed all heads of government and private schools to ensure that the offline classes for students up to class 9, and class 11, do not take place until further order.

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"All the Heads of government, government aided and unaided private recognised schools of DoE, MCD, NDMC and DCB in Delhi are hereby directed to ensure that the physical classes for all students upto (sic) class nine and class eleven is (sic) to be discontinued from November 18 until further orders," the DoE stated in a circular.

In-person classes for students of class 10 and class 12 will continue as usual, it said.

"With the imposition of GRAP-4 from tmrw, physical classes shall be discontinued for all students, apart from Class 10 and 12. All schools will hold online classes, until further orders," Chief Minister Atishi also said in a post on X.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai is also scheduled to hold a meeting with heads of departments on Monday to ensure an effective implementation of GRAP-4.

What is banned under GRAP-4?

Under GRAP-4, entry of trucks are prohibited into the national capital except for those carrying essential items or using clean fuel (LNG/CNG/BS-VI diesel/electric) while there is a temporary ban on carrying out of construction work at public projects.

Non-essential light commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi will also be prohibited, except for EVs and CNG and BS-VI diesel ones.

Also read: Traffic police in Delhi slaps fines totalling Rs 1 crore for violations after GRAP-3 invoked Delhi-registered BS-IV or older diesel medium and heavy goods vehicles are banned, except for those in essential services, the central panel said.

All construction activities, including highways, roads, flyovers, power lines, pipelines and other public projects, have also been suspended.

The CAQM recommended that offices in the National Capital Region (NCR) work at 50 per cent capacity, with the rest working from home.

Work-from-home options may be introduced for central government employees, the panel said.

State governments could also decide to close colleges, limit non-essential commercial activities and implement odd-even vehicle rules, it said.

Low visibility procedures in place at airport

Delhi airport operator DIAL on Sunday night said low visibility procedures are in place at the airport.

"Low visibility procedures are in progress at Delhi airport. All flight operations are normal at present," Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) said in a post on X.

DIAL operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport, which handles around 1,400 flight movements daily.

It also advised passengers to contact the airlines concerned for updated flight information.

Private carrier IndiGo on Sunday night said fog is affecting visibility in the national capital which could delay flight schedules.

"#6ETravelAdvisory: Fog is currently affecting visibility in Delhi, which may result in slow moving traffic and delays in flight schedules," IndiGo said in a post on X at 11.44 pm.