Delhi LG V K Saxena said that the air pollution situation was extremely worrying and called a meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at 6 pm. The meeting will also be attended by Minister of Environment Gopal Rai.
He further said, "I appeal to the people to remain indoors as much as possible and to not expose themselves- especially children and elderly to hazardous ambient conditions wherein AQI has reportedly crossed 800 at places."
In another post on X he wrote, "I have cancelled my public engagements at Yogmaya Mandir & Urs of Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya and requested the organisers to discourage large gatherings."
Earlier, the AAP-led Delhi Government has decided to penalise those flouting traffic norms. Pollution levels in the national capital are said to be in 'severe' zone for the first time this season, with scientists warning of a further spike over the next two weeks.
As per a Friday order, the AAP government said that if any BS-Ill Petrol and BS-IV Diesel LMV (4 Wheeler) is found plying on roads, those will be prosecuted under Section 194(1) of Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, which provides a fine of Rs 20,000.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government began a special electric bus shuttle service for state and central government employees from today (November 3), a senior official said.
The shuttle services will start from Kidwai Nagar and RK Puram for Central Secretariat for Central government employees, Transport Commissioner Ashish Kundra said in a post on X (formerly known as twitter). For Delhi government employees, the e-bus shuttle service will also run from Gulabi Bagh to Delhi Secretariat, Kundra added.
Delhi's AQI in severe category
Delhi-NCR's air quality neared the emergency threshold on Thursday (November 2), prompting an immediate ban on non-essential construction work and the closure of primary schools in the capital, as authorities acted swiftly to address the health-threatening pollution.
Alarmed by the spike in air pollution levels, the Centre's pollution control panel ordered an immediate ban on non-essential construction work, stone crushing and mining in the region. Restrictions have also been imposed on plying of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar.
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