Noida, Ghaziabad order hybrid classes up to Class 5 amid stricter pollution curbs

Noida and Ghaziabad district administrations on Wednesday directed schools to operate in hybrid mode till Class 5, wherever possible. The directions were issued for effective compliance of stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), which is in effect due to a rise in pollution levels.

Directions were issued to carry out mechanical sweeping and water sprinkling at double the current capacity. (HT Photo/ Sakib Ali)In Gautam Budh Nagar, the district basic education department ordered hybrid classes for students up to Grade 5 from Thursday, with the directive applicable to all government, government-aided and recognised schools in the district.

District basic education officer (BSA) Rahul Pawar confirmed that the instructions had been issued on Wednesday, following the reopening of schools and government offices after the Diwali holidays. Meanwhile, Ghaziabad district magistrate Ravinder Mandar held a meeting with the officials of different departments/agencies, following which the decision to conduct both online and offline classes till Class 5 was taken.

Under Clause 8(i) of the Stage III GRAP schedule, NCR state governments and the Delhi government are required to conduct classes for students up to Class V in hybrid mode in Delhi and the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar.

The arrangement allows students to attend classes physically or online, wherever the online facility is available. The CAQM order also clarifies that the option of attending classes online, wherever available, will rest with students and their guardians.

For other NCR areas, state governments have been given the option to consider adopting the hybrid arrangement. The Gautam Budh Nagar district education department has directed school principals and managers to ensure immediate compliance.

It has also warned that negligence or violation of the instructions could invite action against the concerned schools under applicable rules. Also Read | ‘Pollution will subside’: Yogi Adityanath backs Diwali firecracker use despite AQI spike According to the daily bulletin of the Central Pollution Control Board, the AQI levels in Ghaziabad on Wednesday stood at 297 under “poor” quality.

On Sunday, on the day of the Diwali festival, the AQI stood at 344 under "very poor" quality, while it remained under the same category with AQI of 324 on Monday. On Tuesday, the AQI levels stood at 244 under the "poor" category.

In Noida and Greater Noida too, the air quality remained in the “poor” category on Wednesday evening. According to CPCB data, Noida recorded an AQI of 290, while Greater Noida registered 256, as of 7.05pm. The daily AQI calendar showed Noida's reading at 291 on November 11, compared with 301 on November 10 and 332 on November 9.

Greater Noida, meanwhile, recorded 257 on Wednesday, against 233 on Tuesday and 252 on Monday. In the CPCB scale, an AQI reading of 0–51 is considered ‘good’, 51–100 is ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 is ‘moderate’, 201–300 is ‘poor’, 301–400 is ‘very poor’, and 401–500 is considered to be ‘severe’.

The CPCB maintains that readings above 500 fall in the same ‘severe’ health risk category. Apart from the directive on schools, the Ghaziabad district administration also extended the ban on all government and private construction and demolition projects till November 20.

Following a meeting with relevant agencies, Ghaziabad district magistrate Ravinder Mandar also directed that mechanical sweeping of roads and water sprinkling work for prevention of air pollution in the district be carried out effectively at double the present capacity.

In an official statement issued Wednesday, the district administration said DM Mandar had directed relevant agencies – including the Municipal Corporation, Ghaziabad Development Authority, all municipal councils, the Housing Development Board, and the Public Works Department – to form at least 5 teams each.

These teams would be required to conduct regular inspections in their respective jurisdictions to ensure that no construction activity of any kind is taking place. Ankit Kumar, the regional officer of the UP pollution control board, did not take calls for a response.

Also Read | How CPCB’s defence of Delhi's Diwali AQI undercuts its own case The DM also issued instructions stating that in cases of non-compliance, the senior officials of the concerned departments will be held accountable and appropriate action would be taken against them.

The district basic education officer was directed to that classes up to Grade 5 in all schools across the district are conducted, as far as possible, in a hybrid mode. “The directions will be applicable to all schools. In the hybrid mode, the students can take up online classes and may also opt for physical classes, if possible,” OP Yadav, basic education officer, told HT.

“The district magistrate asked the concerned departments to expedite this work and ensure regular monitoring,” the official statement said.