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Delhi air quality back to 'severe plus' as Kejriwal and Khattar squabble; NGT to hear govt plea on odd-even rule today
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Delhi air quality back to 'severe plus' as Kejriwal and Khattar squabble; NGT to hear govt plea on odd-even rule today

FP Staff • November 14, 2017, 17:17:49 IST
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As bickering and political deflections riddled the discussions around Delhi pollution and the odd-even rule, the air quality in Delhi-NCR was back to “severe-plus” or “emergency” category towards Monday evening

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Delhi air quality back to 'severe plus' as Kejriwal and Khattar squabble; NGT to hear govt plea on odd-even rule today

As bickering and political deflections riddled discussions around Delhi pollution and the odd-even rule, the air quality in Delhi-NCR was back to “severe-plus” or “emergency” category towards Monday evening. Here are some of the day’s key developments in the national capital’s battle against pollution: Delhi’s air quality back to ‘severe plus’, weather may deteriorate According to IANS, monitoring agencies predicted a further rise in toxicity across the Delhi-NCR on Monday evening. The levels of PM2.5 and PM10 continued to rise even as both Centre and Delhi government claimed partial relief during the afternoon. [caption id=“attachment_3100820” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] ![People in masks protesting over the pollution in Delhi. Reuters](https://images.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Delhi_pollution2_Reuters_380.jpg) People in masks protesting over the pollution in Delhi. Reuters[/caption] The average Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi on Monday at 4 pm was 463, with PM2.5 recorded at 460 units. For the entire Delhi-NCR, the average was 455 units, with PM2.5 at 452 units. The international permissible limit for PM2.5 — particles in the air with a diameter less than 2.5mm — is 25 units (microgram per cubic metre), while for India it is 60 units. The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) initiative of the government said Delhi’s air “may see an increase in pollution levels” due to meteorological factors and that a clearer picture would emerge after Tuesday. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (MeT) has forecast rains in the area around 15 November. The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) said Delhi’s air had “reversed” after some signs of improvement in the weekend. However, an EPCA official claimed that the dispersal of pollutants had begun with the wind speed picking up again. Delhi minister Gopal Rai said on Monday that there was some improvement in Delhi’s air quality in the morning. “According to reports, there are fluctuations (in pollution levels). But in the past six hours, pollution levels are a little lower than before,” Rai said in the afternoon. Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan also echoed these statements, saying, “There is a declining trend in the levels of particulate matters at present, indicating improvement in air quality on account of efforts made by various agencies.” He also said that there was no need to panic about the situation in Delhi. SC sends notice to Centre, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab state governments The Supreme Court sought a response from the Centre and Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab state governments on a plea seeking to curb rising pollution in Delhi and NCR. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud said that there won’t be any stay on matters pertaining to pollution which are ongoing before any other court. The apex court observed that the Delhi pollution issue was an “emergency-like situation” and sought expeditious action. The plea, filed by lawyer RK Kapoor, claimed that rise in dust particles on roads and stubble burning in Delhi’s neighbouring states like Haryana and Punjab have led to an alarming rise in pollution levels in the NCR and its adjoining areas. The fresh plea sought directions to the Centre and the states concerned to take measures on curbing road dust and stubble burning. It also sought effective implementation of the odd-even car rationing scheme. AAP government plea on odd-even rule likely to be heard Tuesday  The Delhi government moved the National Green Tribunal (NGT) seeking modification of its 11 November order refusing to exempt women and two-wheelers from the odd-even car rationing scheme to tackle pollution. [caption id=“attachment_4205397” align=“alignright” width=“380”] ![Representational image. PTI](https://images.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/delhi_smog_pollution_pti1.png) Representational image. PTI[/caption] The application, filed before a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, sought exemption of women drivers from the scheme, saying it may affect the safety and security of women. It sought that the exemptions be allowed for one year till the government procured 2,000 buses for public transport to accommodate lakhs of commuters. This application by the Delhi government is likely to be heard by the NGT on Tuesday . The NGT had on 11 November given a conditional nod to the AAP government’s decision to implement the odd-even scheme for five days from 13 November, ordering that no exemption should be allowed to “any person or officer and two-wheelers”. In relation to efforts to improve public transport, Cabinet minister Kailash Gahlot tweeted  that the Delhi government plans to increase the DTC fleet to 11,000 buses and requires 450 acres of land for parking the buses. Manohar Lal Khattar and Arvind Kejriwal at loggerheads Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday landed in Delhi and wanted to know the status of his meeting with Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal to discuss the smog situation and stubble burning. Earlier, Khattar shared on his Twitter handle a letter he wrote to Kejriwal on 10 November in which he expressed his willingness to meet the Delhi chief minister, and also blamed Kejriwal for his “inability to rise above short-term electoral interests”.

My letter to Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal regarding stubble burning & pollution. pic.twitter.com/3rd9Qvi5RQ

— Manohar Lal (@mlkhattar) November 13, 2017

Kejriwal responded:

Khattar ji called. He is in Del till tomo. Says he is v busy n can't meet me in Del. He has asked me to come to Chandigarh on Wed. I look forward to meeting him in Chandigarh on Wed

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 13, 2017

Kejriwal has blamed stubble burning by farmers in Punjab and Haryana for causing the thick smog over Delhi. On 7 November, Kejriwal wrote to the chief ministers of Haryana and Punjab for a joint meeting to find a solution to the problem that has led to widespread health concerns.

Delhi govt wrote letters to adjoining states in Aug urging them to take steps to check crop burning https://t.co/L9AlbuGISm

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 7, 2017

Khattar, in his letter, said he would be available in Delhi on Monday and until Tuesday noon. After arriving in Delhi, Khattar told reporters, “I am in Delhi, where is the meeting?” To which Kejriwal tweeted, saying his office has been trying to contact him for a long time. The Haryana chief minister also took a dig at his Punjab counterpart for not spending “even a paisa out of its central allocation of Rs 97.58 crore” and said that Haryana has spent Rs 39 crore of the allocation of Rs 45 crore released for crop residue management. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh declined the AAP leader’s proposal for a meeting, saying the air pollution in NCR was not an inter-state matter and needed the Centre’s intervention. Parents accuse government of ‘playing with children’s health’ as schools reopen after five days Angry parents accused Delhi authorities on Monday of “playing with children’s health” as schools reopened despite a fresh surge in pollution to emergency levels. On Monday, authorities reopened schools amid concerns over upcoming exams, angering some parents. “There has been no let-up in the pollution levels. So if the situation is the same, action should be the same. Why open the schools now?” said Ashok Agrawal, president of the All India Parents Association. “On one hand the government is saying there is a health emergency and on the other, they are playing with children’s health… It is so disturbing to see children coughing and struggling to breathe all the way to the school,” he added. Deepender Singh Hooda plans to move ‘Right to Clean Air Bill’ in Lok Sabha Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to constitute a committee to tackle air pollution in the capital. “I am planning to move a ‘Right to Clean Air Bill’ as a private member’s bill in the Lok Sabha. I shall put together thoughts of the citizens and experts in the bill,” Hooda told the media in New Delhi. In his letter to the prime minister, Hooda said, “We need to rise above political blame games and find a lasting solution to this problem for the sake of our next generation.” With inputs from agencies

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