Delhi Environment Mi🅷nister Gopal Rai on Saturday appealed to th🎃e chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh to take measures to divert trucks carrying non-essential goods on peripheral expressways to avoid traffic jams at Delhi borders.
With pollution le🐻vels in the national capital worsening, the Centre's air quality panel had on Thursday banned the entry of trucks other than electric and CNG ones into Delhi. Those carrying essential commodities are exempted.
"Stage IV of GRAP has already been invoked with immediate effect from November 3... mandating the NCR and Delh𝕴i authorities to ensure that trucks carrying non-essential items should not be allowed to enter Delhi till further date as deemed necessary," Rai said in a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
"It is necessary that the transport and traffic authorities of your state also take steps/measures to divert such non-essential trucks on eastern/western peripheral expressway or any ꦰother alternate route beyond the NCR limit to avoid congestion and traffic jams at the𝔉 borders shared with Delhi. Necessary cooperation is solicited from your respective state in this regard," the environment minister said.
Alarmed by hazardous pollutio♈n levels and health warnings, the Delhi government on Friday announced the closure of primary schools from Saturday and that 50 per cent of its staff will work from home. It also advised private offices to follow 🍨suit.
The 24-hour av🐎erage air quality index (AQI) of Delhi on Friday st🥃ood at 447.
It had jumped to 450, just a notch short of the 'severe plus'ꦕ category, on Thursday, prompting the authorities to invoke the final stage of anti-pollution curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), including a ban on non-BS VI diesel-run light motor vehicles.
An AQI above 400 is considered 'severe', which can affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing illnesses. Delhi's air quality improved margi꧂nally on Friday morning on the back of strong surface-level winds but remained 'seve💧re'.
-With PTI Input
