Principal Secretary To PM, Cabinet Secretary To Hold High-Level Meeting On Air Pollution

As air pollution level turned ‘severe’ on Sunday in Delhi-NCR, the principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba will hold a high-level meeting on the issue, officials told news agency PTI. Besides Delhi officials, the meeting will be attended by representatives of Punjab and Haryana governments via video-conference, they said.

PK Mishra, the principal secretary to the prime minister, and Gauba will hold the meeting. Pollution levels in Delhi and satellite towns shot up again on Sunday morning, with the air quality bordering the 'severe plus' category at several places.

Authorities have announced a public health emergency in the national capital. Schools have been shut in Delhi and Noida till Tuesday. Pollution caused a major disruption at Delhi airport on Sunday as 37 flights were diverted to other airports due to heavy smog.

Pollution caused a major disruption at Delhi airport on Sunday as 37 flights were diverted to other airports due to heavy smog, officials said.

Due to low visibility at Delhi Airport, thirty-seven flights were diverted between 9 am and 1 pm to places like Jaipur, Amritsar Lucknow and Mumbai, they said.

As of now, the visibility has improved, the airport officials said. While Air India said it diverted 12 flights since 9 am, Vistara said it diverted five flights after 10 am due to smog at the airport.

An Air India spokesperson said: "Bad weather affected flight operations since morning 9 am in T3 airport (Delhi). Twelve flights diverted to Jaipur, Amritsar and Lucknow."

When asked if it can be said that "bad weather" is actually the pollution, he replied in affirmative.

"Five flights each were diverted to Jaipur airport and Amritsar airport, two flights were diverted to Lucknow airport," the spokesperson added.

A Vistara spokesperson told PTI that while four flights - which were coming from Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Goa - were diverted to Amritsar airport, one that was coming from Kochi was diverted to Mumbai airport.

"The diversion began post 10 am today due to smog," he added.

Five Air India flights that were coming to Delhi from Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad and London were diverted to Jaipur airport on Sunday.

(With PTI inputs)