Delhi Minister Gopal Rai explains reasons behind pollution, shut down

Environment Minister briefed the media on Sunday. "We are going to present our report on lockdown implementation in national capital before the Supreme Court on Monday and will go by its decision," he said.

New Delhi:After Delhi Chief Minister Aravind Kejriwal announced a one-week shut down in Delhi on Saturday due to deteriorating air quality, his colleague and Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai, briefed the media, on Sunday. "We are going to present our report on lockdown implementation in national capital before the Supreme Court on Monday and will go by its decision," he said.

Adding further, he said, 'Construction and demolition activities in Delhi have been banned till November 17. While government offices have also been shut down and the employees have been instructed to work from home for one week. Also instructed private organisations to allow their employees to work from remote. The educational institutions will be closed till November 20. Further decisions will be taken after monitoring the situation during the shutdown. However, emergency services will be exempted from the imposed shutdown."

Earlier, the sub-committee of the Commission for Air Quality Management on the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) said that while PM10 and PM2.5 levels had come down, they continue to be in the “severe AQI category”. "There are two main reasons for Delhi pollution. Pollution generated by vehicles and construction and demolition activities are few reasons, while stubble burning in nearby states is also a major cause for rise in pollution levels," added Gopal Rai.

However, education institutions where examinations are to be held have been exempted from the shutdown.

Read:Air Crisis: Kejriwal shuts down schools, WFH for govt officials from Monday