All the schools in Delhi will be closed from tomorrow till further orders due to air crisis, state Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced on Thursday, shortly after a rap from the Supreme Court.
"We had reopened schools considering the forecast that air quality would improve. However, the air pollution levels have increased again and we have decided to shut schools from Friday till further orders," Gopal Rai said.
The Supreme Court, after warning of a strict action, gave a 24-hour ultimatum to Centre, Delhi, and neighboring states to act against pollution stemming from industries and vehicles, which is cited as the main reason behind the deteriorating air quality.
Reprimanding the Arvind Kejriwal government over the reopening of the schools, the apex court said that "three-year-olds and four-year-olds are going to schools but adults are working from home". "We will appoint somebody to administer your government," Chief Justice NV Ramana said.
After remaining closed since November 13, offline classes in schools, colleges and other educational institutions had resumed from Monday.
Delhi's air quality deteriorated severely last month after Diwali. Farm fires were also cited as reason, which led to debates and political blame games. A month on, the city is still grappling with the crisis.
With Agency Inputs
