Delhi schools to remain closed again from tomorrow till further orders over pollution crisis
Schools had reopened from November 29 in Delhi after being shut first due to coronavirus and then due to air pollution.
FollowShortly after a rap from the Supreme Court, state Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced today that schools in Delhi will be shut from tomorrow till further orders over the air crisis. “We had reopened schools considering the forecast that air quality would improve. However, the air pollution levels have increased again and we have decided to shut schools from Friday till further orders,” Gopal Rai said.
Schools had reopened from November 29 in Delhi after being shut first due to coronavirus and then due to air pollution. After the air pollution condition improved, Delhi had announced to reopen schools amid strict precautions citing learning losses among kids.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court had pulled up the Delhi government for opening the schools amid the rising air pollution levels in the city. The SC asked Delhi government “when the government implemented work from home for adults then why children are being forced to go to school?”
Also read: Supreme Court raps Delhi government for reopening schools amid worsening air pollution level
The top court also asserted that the city has not witnessed any significant improvement in air quality over the past few weeks. “We feel there is nothing happening, in spite of air pollution levels rising,” the court observed.
As per reports, the Supreme Court of India gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the Centre, Delhi, and neighbouring states to act against rising air pollution. Meanwhile, students, teachers and other stakeholders must keep track of official announcements to get more updates on the closure of Delhi schools. “We cannot enforce or infuse creativity in your bureaucracy, you have to come up with some steps”, SC told the Centre after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that industries found non-compliant were closed and State govt were intimated.
Not just Delhi but schools across the country are closing again. Schools in Haryana which were set to reopen on December 1, have continued to remain shut over fear due to the new variant of Covid-19 called Omicron. Mumbai too has deferred the reopening of schools till December 15. Madhya Pradesh schools which were allowed to reopen at 100 per cent capacity, are now allowed to function only at 50 per cent capacity.
