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Amid worsening air quality in the national capital, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that the meeting of senior officers of departments concerned at 12 noon for implementation of GRAP IV was rescheduled for later on Monday. He alleged that the HoDs were negligent and no senior official arrived at the meeting.
Gopal Rai says, "After a rise in the pollution level in Delhi, we had called a meeting of senior officers of departments concerned at 12 noon for implementation of GRAP IV. But there is such negligence that despite the pollution level rising to such dangerous levels, no senior officer reached the meeting." He urged the senior officials to be present at the meeting. "Neither the Transport Commissioner nor MCD Commissioner or Principal Secretary PWD or Special Commissioner Traffic or important HoDs of various meeting arrived for the meeting. So, we had to cancel the meeting. We have sent notices to these leaders once again for a 3 pm meeting," he further added. Meanwhile, eleven flights bound to land at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital were diverted to different cities on Monday due to adverse weather and smog conditions causing low visiblilty. These flights were diverted under the 'Captain Minima' operating procedures, which refers to the minimum operating standards that pilots must meet for landing, and these standards can lead to diversions if adverse weather conditions prevent compliance. The Delhi Airport this morning issued an advisory for passengers informing flight operations may get affected but 'Low Visibility Procedures' were still in progress at the airport. The air quality level in the national capital plunged to 'severe plus' levels. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 1 pm was 490 in the national capital. According to CPCB data, the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at Dwarka Sector 8 is 500, Ashok Vihar is 497, Mundka is 495, Patparganj is 495, Anand Vihar is 495, Sonia Vihar at 491, RK Puram is 483, Chandani Chowk is 466 and ITO is 447, as of 12 pm. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) imposed the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage 4 in Delhi NCR from today. This decision was taken after Delhi's daily average AQI rose sharply to 441 by 4 PM on Sunday, and further escalated to 457 by 7 PM which prompted an emergency meeting of the GRAP Sub-Committee. The Stage-IV response encompasses an 8-point action plan designed to mitigate the pollution crisis. Key measures include banning the entry of trucks into Delhi, except for the ones carrying essential commodities or providing essential services. (ANI)
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