All Schools In Gurgaon To Reopen Tomorrow After Being Shut Over Air Pollution

All private and government schools in Gurgaon will reopen Friday after being shut down earlier this month over rising levels of air pollution in the National Capital Region.

Announcing this, Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon Dr Yash Garg said classes will be held in schools and educational institutions as usual from tomorrow following all Covid protocols.

Schools in four Haryana districts close to the national capital were initially shut till November 17. In view of the toxic smog and bad air quality in Delhi, all government and private schools were ordered to remain shut in the adjoining districts of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.

Besides shutting down schools, construction activities, stubble burning, burning of trash by municipal bodies were banned in Haryana's Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonepat, and Jhajjar districts.

Neighbouring Delhi, grappling with air quality oscillating between "very poor" and "severe" had also shut down schools, banned construction activities, advised government and private offices to work from home, and aimed to reduce vehicles on roads by 30%.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's four-step pollution control plan, including planning for a city-wide lockdown, on November 13 came hours after an angry Supreme Court demanded the government at the Centre and in Delhi to prioritise an emergency response over long-term efforts to tackle the problem of air pollution.