UP: Worsening air quality forces Noida schools to remain closed till Nov 5

Gautam Buddh Nagar (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Nov 3 (ANI): Gautam Buddh Nagar district administration has ordered all private and government schools to remains closed till November 5 due to increasing air pollution in the region.
In an order by District Magistrate BN Singh, the increasing Air Quality Index of the district has been outlined along with the ill-effects of vehicular pollution in this regard.
"It is evident that the existing AQI gets worse due to vehicular pollution. Large numbers of buses are deployed in different schools to bring and drop children from their homes. Parents also use their private vehicles to take their children to schools. This leads to a large number of vehicles being on roads during the start and end hours of schools every day, which in turn has an adverse effect on deteriorating air quality," the administration said in an order.
It has directed all schools up to class 12 to remain closed for the next two days.
This comes at a time when air pollution levels in the national capital region have escalated to hazardous and visibility dropped significantly as a thick blanket of smog engulfed several parts of the area on Sunday morning.
Earlier on Saturday, the Noida Authority had conducted checking drives at various construction sites and arrested over two dozen people for flouting the construction ban.
"The construction is banned in Noida from November 1 to 5. We have conducted checking at sector 75, 35 and 72. We have arrested 27 people for flouting the ban. We will continue to conduct checks at construction sites," said an official from Noida Authority.
In Delhi also the state government and municipal corporations have ordered for schools to remain closed till Nov 5. (ANI)