Delhi: Factories in key industrial areas to remain closed till Dec 26

Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority on Monday received recommendations from the Central Pollution Control Board Task force, under the Graded Response Action Plan, directing factories located in hotspot industrial areas to remain closed till December 26 in Delhi-NCR.

In a letter written to the Delhi Secretariat, it is mentioned that construction activities in Gurugram, Noida, Delhi, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad too shall remain closed till Wednesday. The letter also mentioned that strict action must be taken against industries failing to comply with these instructions.

The decision to direct industries to shut down comes amidst deteriorating air quality in the national capital and surrounding regions. Overall Air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was 468, which falls in the "hazardous" category.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on December 18 had said his government is mulling over a new electric vehicle policy to reduce pollution in the national capital.

"We are working on reducing pollution in the national capital and an electric vehicle policy is being developed for the city. A draft policy has already been made and we are further holding talks with the experts, NGOs and other concerned people. We are planning to buy around 1,000 electric buses," Kejriwal had told ANI.