Schools must shut in Delhi, NCR districts under GRAP stages 3 and 4: CAQM updates guidelines

CAQM mandates school closures in Delhi and NCR districts under revised GRAP, emphasizing stricter measures for air quality management.

The Centre's pollution watchdog on Wednesday (November 20, 2024) revised the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), mandating the closure of schools in Delhi and NCR districts under Stages 3 and 4 of the plan.

Previously, the decision to implement these measures was left to the discretion of the state governments.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and adjoining areas on Wednesday revised the GRAP, mandating the closure of schools in Delhi and the NCR districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddh Nagar under Stages 3 and 4.

An additional directive under Stage 3 of the GRAP now requires the state governments to stagger the timings of public offices and municipal bodies in Delhi and the aforementioned NCR districts.

For other NCR districts, the decision on office timings remains at the discretion of the respective state governments, according to the order.

Previously, under Stage 3, the state governments could decide whether to halt physical classes for students up to Class 5 and transition to online learning.

Similarly, under Stage 4, they had the option to discontinue in-person classes for the students in classes 6 to 9 and 11.