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The Gurugram administration has ordered the suspension of classes for nursery to fifth grade students until further notice, citing the need to protect schoolchildren from the escalating pollution levels in the NCR.
Faridabad’s Deputy Commissioner, Vikram Singh, has also directed the closure of schools for students in classes one to five until October 12, effective from Tuesday.
Over the past week, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the district has consistently reached “extremely dangerous” levels, with a reading of 412 on Monday. The industrial district was ranked as the fifth most polluted city in the country.
The Chairman of the Gurugram District Disaster Management Authority and District Commissioner, Nishant Kumar Yadav, issued the order on Monday. Schools have been instructed to continue with online classes to ensure minimal disruption to students’ education.
This directive applies to all private and government educational institutions in the district and is effective from November 7, remaining in force until further notice.
Yadav mentioned that due to the continuous deterioration of air quality, the situation has reached the GRAP IV stage.
Previously, the Haryana government had requested deputy commissioners in the NCR to evaluate the situation in their respective districts and decide on school closures. In recent days, the AQI in some districts, including Gurugram, has reached ‘severe’ levels.
On Monday morning, pollution levels in Delhi-NCR were recorded at levels seven to eight times higher than the government-prescribed safe limit, as a toxic haze persisted over the region for the seventh consecutive day.
