DU advances winter break, exams postponed due to deteriorating AQI in Delhi; Check details
The decision to advance the winter break, which is usually given in December, has been taken keeping in mind the GRAP-IV measures being implemented in the city, Delhi University said in a notification.
New Delhi: Delhi University (DU) on Thursday announced an early winter break due to rising air pollution in the national capital. According to an official notification from the varsity, the decision to advance the winter break, which is usually held in December, has been taken keeping in mind the GRAP-IV measures being implemented in the city.
The winter break, usually given in December, has been revised keeping in mind the GRAP-IV measures being implemented amid the prevailing air pollution in Delhi, DU said.
All colleges and institutes of the university have been asked to declare winter break from November 13 to 19.
“To overcome the prevailing environmental pollution caused by poor air quality and implementation of GRAP-IV measures in Delhi, it has been decided to declare November 13 to 19 as winter break for the university and its colleges,” the notice said. Read on Thursday.
The university has also revised the exam date for its undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) courses, which will commence on December 20 and January 8 respectively, the university said.
The exam schedule for these courses will be announced soon, an official said. However, there are no changes in the exam dates for SOL students.
Previously, the RUG exams were scheduled for December 13, while the PG exams were scheduled to take place from January 1.
The exams have been pushed forward by seven days, the official said
Delhi is postponing the implementation of the odd-even scheme
Meanwhile, in related news, the Delhi government on Friday announced that it would postpone the proposed implementation of the odd-even car rationing scheme in the city with a view to slightly improving air quality in the capital.
There has been an improvement in the pollution level. The AQI which was 450+ has now reached around 300. The decision to implement odd-even from November 13 to 20 has been postponed. The situation would be re-analyzed after Diwali,” Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court had directed the Delhi government to take a final decision on the implementation of the Odd-Even Scheme. However, the Supreme Court had refrained from taking a decision itself and left the matter in the hands of the state government.
The odd-even system will allow the cars to ply in the national capital on alternate days based on their odd or even registration numbers.
The overall air quality in Delhi was 407 at 7 am today, according to data from government air quality monitoring agency SAFAR.
The Supreme Court on Friday noted that the Amicus Curiae report had suggested that the odd-even scheme did not help in reducing pollution levels.
“Do not try to fail to perform and then shift the burden to the court,” the Supreme Court told the Delhi government after the government said it would finalize the odd-even policy following the Supreme Court order.
The Delhi government said it is waiting for the court’s detailed order before making its final observations.
(With input from agencies)