(Online Desk)

Alarmed by the critical levels of air pollution in the national capital, the Delhi government on Thursday has decided to implement the odd-even policy. This will be the third edition of the policy.

Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said had yesterday said that the Delhi government would be ready to roll out the scheme if air pollution levels persist in ‘severe plus’ category for 48 hours. Two-wheelers will be exempted if the road rationing measure comes into effect, he had asserted.

With no improvement in the air quality, Delhi-NCR continued to breathe toxins for the third consecutive day, as major pollutants across all monitoring stations in the region crossed “severe” level on Thursday.

The data collected from the central government’s System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (Safar) showed that the PM2.5 and PM10 (particles with a diameter less than 2.5 and 10mm) were beyond “severe”, which stood at more than 500 units.

Expressing concern over the increasing pollution level in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday asserted that the state is taking every possible step in this regard.