Delhi primary schools to be closed from Saturday due to pollution: Kejriwal
Darpan News Desk IANS, 04 Nov, 2022 10:46 AM
New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS) Amid increasing pollution levels in Delhi, all primary schools in the national capital will be closed from Saturday onwards until the air quality improves, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Friday.
He made the announcement while addressing a joint presser here with his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann.
Kejriwal also said that outdoor activities for all classes above class 5 will also be suspended.
He however, sought the Centre's leadership role to help curb the pollution which he termed as a "problem of the entire North India".
"The Central government can no longer lag behind. The Centre will have to lead it. The air quality situation is worsening from Bhiwandi in Rajasthan to Bettiah and Motihari in Bihar. It is the problem of entire North India. For this, we have to sit together and talk to find out the solution," Kejriwal said.
Meanwhile, schools in Noida have also decided to start online classes due to the deteriorating air quality.
As per orders of the District Collector, classes 1 to 8 of all schools will function in the online mode till November 8.
"As far as possible, classes 9 to 12 should also function in online mode and, until the next order, outdoor activities in all schools are prohibited," read the order.
A Rajya Sabha member and close aide of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her inception in Punjab affairs has caused suspicion among the leaders in Punjab who were fighting a turf war. Soni could be reckoned to be the choice of the high command if Congress returns to power as a consensus candidate.
The new limit will apply to both Indian passport holders as well as persons of Indian origin carrying the Overseas Citizen of India card travelling to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Narowal district of Pakistan's Punjab province through Kartarpur corridor.
The development comes after the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella organisation of farmer bodies, suspended the agitation after the Union government repealed the three farm laws and conceded its other demands. Subsequently the farmers started vacating the Delhi borders where they have been stationed for more than a year.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Tuesday gave a clarion call for the establishment of a truly federal structure in the country, with genuine cultural, political and economic autonomy to states. It also announced to implement a Rs 50,000 per acre crop insurance scheme, besides commitment to revive the pre-2004 pension scheme for government employees.
In order to provide constructed houses to the economically weaker section (EWS) across the state, the Punjab Cabinet on Tuesday approved invitation of applications for allotment of 25,000 houses to be constructed by urban development authorities. The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Charanjit Channi here.
On October 3, eight people, including four protesting farmers, had died when a SUV belonging to Ashish Mishra had mowed them down on the outskirts of Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh. One local journalist had died in the ensuing violence.
