The state government, in a meeting to be chaired by Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai, will decide on Monday to ease restrictions on BS-III petrol vehicles and BS-IV diesel vehicles and to reopen primary schools, senior officials aware of the matter said, while diesel trucks were allowed to enter Delhi from Sunday evening itself as restrictions were eased under the final phase of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap).
A series of curbs that were put in place on Friday in an attempt to reduce – and mitigate the impact of – toxic pollution levels in Delhi were lifted on Sunday as the city’s air quality improved over the weekend. “It will be assessed whether schools must remain closed. It will also be discussed whether to continue the 50% work of civil servants or not,” said a government official briefed on the matter.
Under Phase 4, the most severe of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), state governments in the National Capital Region (NCR) are empowered to consider “additional emergency measures” such as the closure of educational institutions. Restrictions at this stage also mandate that diesel trucks can no longer enter the capital, while BS-III petrol and BS-IV vehicles must stay off the streets or face a fine of ₹20,000, and that they work on linear public projects like e.g. roads and highways will be closed. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) released curbs from this level on Sunday, citing a drop in pollution levels, although it said stage 3 curbs remained in place.
Phase 4 (also known as “Severe+”) of the plan begins when the AQI is predicted to enter 450. Phase 3 may be implemented when the AQI is predicted to approach or exceed the 400 mark. In the penultimate phase, private construction and demolition are prohibited, while states may decide to impose curbs on older diesel vehicles, a decision that will also be on the agenda for Monday’s meeting, officials with knowledge of the matter said.
Residents and transport service operators welcomed the move by CAQM. All India Motor and Goods Transport Association president Rajender Kapoor said the ban on diesel trucks affected business over the weekend. “Around 60,000 trucks enter Delhi daily from outside. Some travel from as far as Kerala and were hit by the sudden decision. Trucks that had gone to Delhi from the southern parts of the country days before the ban did not know this was going to happen and got stuck at the borders of the capital,” Kapoor said.
Meanwhile, school principals in the capital have said they will take up the call to reopen primary school classes after the government issues a notification with detailed rules. Rashmi Raj Biswal, principal of DAV Public School, Pushpanjali Enclave, said the school would conduct online classes on Monday while Tuesday was a holiday due to Guru Nanak Jayanti. Biswal that closing schools was disruptive and that it was important to consider parents before issuing such orders. “We have not received any request from a single parent to close the school. Most of them work and prefer their children to go to school. Especially in the primary classes, there is a need for parents to hold hands. Closing schools is not the answer. We will now wait for further orders from the government,” Biswal said.
