Taking account of the poor air quality in the national capital IMD scientist VK Soni on Monday said that there will be some improvement in the air quality after the implementation of GRAP, but it would remain in the ‘very poor’ category until October 26.

Speaking to news agency ANI on Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) levels, VK Soni said “Yesterday it reached the ‘very poor’ category. The AQI was at 313 but this time GRAP Stage 2 was implemented much earlier and because of that, I think there will be some improvement in air quality. Our forecast is that the Air Quality will remain in the ‘very poor’ category till 26 October.”

The IMD scientist further informed that the AQI is close to 300 on Monday and that there are hopes that the measures taken under GRAP 2 will benefit the air quality.

Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a set of guidelines and measures implemented to combat air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India, which includes Delhi and its surrounding areas.

When the AQI of Delhi NCR ranges from 201 to 300, it will be termed ‘poor’ and classified under Stage 1 restrictions. AQI levels between 301-400 is called ‘very poor’ and falls under Stage 2. When AQI is 401-450 it is termed ‘severe’ and falls under Stage 3.

The overall air quality in the national capital on Monday morning was recorded in the ‘very poor category’, with the AQI at 306 against 302 recorded on Sunday afternoon, as per SAFAR-India.

While talking to ANI, a cyclist at Indian Gate, Sanjay Chaudhary, said “The situation is not good at all”.

“I think pollution levels have been rising in Delhi for the past 10-12 days. We can feel it in our eyes today. The smog is dense. I think the situation is not good at all. We, the cyclists, carry masks and bandanas with us, but I don’t think there is any alternative, and if you have to be on the road, you have to face it,” Sanjay Chaudhary said.

Air quality in Delhi deteriorated from poor to the ‘very poor’ category, with the AQI at 302 on Sunday afternoon, as per SAFAR-India.

On Sunday morning, the air quality was recorded in the ‘poor category’ with an AQI of 266 against 173 recorded on Saturday.

The AQI is a tool for effective communication of air quality status to people in terms that are easy to understand. There are six AQI categories, namely Good Satisfactory, Moderately Polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe.

Each of these categories is decided based on the ambient concentration values of air pollutants and their likely health impacts (known as health breakpoints).

According to the AQI scale, the air quality check between 0 and 50 is “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 450 “severe”.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has said the BJP can seek a National Investigation Agency probe into the killing of its worker in Maoist-affected Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district, in case it is not satisfied with the police investigation.

BJP worker Birju Taram was shot dead by suspected Maoists in village Sarkheda on the night of October 20. The BJP has termed it a “targeted” killing.

Asked about the BJP claim, Mr Baghel said, “The last time when they had levelled allegations of BJP workers being targeted and killed, I had told them to get the incidents investigated by the NIA. NIA does not even need recommendation. When (BJP MLA) Bhima Mandavi was killed (in April 2019 in a Maoist attack), the Chhattisgarh police was probing it but they (BJP-led Centre) sent NIA (to probe the case).”

“If they feel the incident of Mohla-Manpur is a targeted killing, they should get it investigated by the NIA. Who is stopping them? The way ED and IT are roaming here, NIA can also come. Who will stop them (NIA)? Whether the probe is done by the government, state police or NIA, the truth must come out,” he added.

State BJP chief Arun Sao visited Taram’s house in Sarkheda on Monday and alleged the incident was not only a targeted killing but a political murder to secure power.

“Violence has no place in democracy. The murder of Taram is not only a targeted killing but a political murder to grab power. But the state government has been sitting silently when political rivalry is turning into violence. The BJP is committed to ensuring justice for Taram’s family,” Mr Sao told reporters.

Taram had informed the local administration about the threat to his life, but no steps were taken to provide security to him, he claimed.

The Congress government is scared of the public (anticipating defeat in next month’s assembly polls) and, therefore, targeted killing of BJP workers is taking place, he alleged.

“The Congress has a history of political murders for power. Political murders have been taking place continuously in Chhattisgarh. Earlier BJP workers were killed in Bastar, which were also targeted and political murders,” he claimed.

Polling to the 90-member state assembly will be held in two phases on November 7 and 17. The counting of votes will take place on December 3.

Sunil Soni, the BJP Lok Sabha MP from Raipur, on Monday said his party has filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India seeking action on murders of Taram and others.

The BJP has also demanded deployment of Central forces in sensitive and highly sensitive polling stations in Maoist-affected areas, he added.

“The BJP has sought the removal of the Chhattisgarh Director General of Police and transfer of Inspector General of Police of the concerned range and Superintendent of Police of Mohla-Manpur district,” Mr Soni said.

A residents’ body in Noida on Monday said it will move the Supreme Court against the Allahabad High Court’s recent order acquitting domestic help Surendra Koli and his employer Moninder Singh Pandher in the 2006 Nithari serial killings.

The District Development Residents Welfare Association (DDRWA) is consulting legal experts and has met the victim families to take the case further.

“We first thought of extending financial assistance to the victim families but after discussions, it was decided that we will take up the case and bear the legal expenses of the case in the Supreme Court,” DDRWA president N P Singh told news agency PTI.

“We have taken the consent of the victim families, and are consulting lawyers who are studying the high court’s order. They will guide us on the way ahead in this case. We are hoping to move the Supreme Court within a week,” Mr Singh added.

Ashok, who had lost his five-year-old son in the Nithari serial killings, said he has spoken to the residents’ body about the case.

“I have given them my go head for taking up this case in the top court. Let’s see what happens next,” Ashok, who runs a footwear shop, told PTI.

Businessman Moninder Singh Pandher, 65, who was arrested in the sensational case, walked out of Luksar jail in Greater Noida on Friday.

The Allahabad High Court on October 16 acquitted him and his domestic help Koli in the case after noting that the prosecution had failed to prove guilt “beyond reasonable doubt” and that the investigation was botched up.

The two were charged with rape and murder and sentenced to death by a lower court in the killings in Nithari, Noida, that horrified the nation with the details of sexual assault, brutal murder and hints of possible cannibalism.