Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Friday said the state government has issued a notice to schools to suspend outdoor activities and sports events amid rising air pollution in the national capital. Speaking to ANI, Sood said this decision was taken following concerns expressed by the Supreme Court. He added that the Delhi government has also postponed a sports Mahakumbh. "After the concern expressed by the Supreme Court and the order that, for the next one to two months, as a precautionary measure, outdoor activities for small children should not be conducted. Following this, the Delhi government has issued a notice. We were going to organise a huge sports Mahakumbh in Delhi. Due to these guidelines, it has been postponed. Such activities will not be conducted in Delhi until new instructions are issued," the Delhi Education Minister said.
Earlier, the Supreme Court stated that matters concerning air pollution must be listed monthly. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas earlier urged state governments and the Delhi government to postpone physical sports competitions scheduled for November and December, citing prevailing air quality trends. In compliance with observations of the Supreme Court, the CAQM convened a consultative meeting with representatives from the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education, NCR State Governments, the Sports Authority of India, and officials from State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
The meeting examined current air quality trends and deliberated measures to safeguard children's health during the winter months. A statement from the CAQM said, "In view of the observations of the Supreme Court, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas convened a consultative meeting with representatives from the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education; NCR State Governments/ GNCTD, Sports Authority of India and representatives of NCR State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/ DPCC to examine the current air quality trends and deliberated upon measures to safeguard children's health especially during the winter months of November and December."
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Following the discussions, CAQM has written to the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, requesting immediate action to postpone physical sports events in areas affected by poor air quality.