AQI 'poor', 'very poor' in several parts of Haryana, Punjab
Chandigarh (PTI): The AQI in several places in Haryana and some in neighbouring Punjab was recorded in the 'poor' and 'very poor' categories on Friday, the morning after Diwali.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the Union Territory of Chandigarh was also in the 'very poor' category.
At 9 am on Friday, the AQI was recorded at 344 in Haryana's Gurugram, 340 in Jind, 308 in Ambala and 304 in Kurukshetra, according to the Sameer app that provides hourly updates of the national AQI published by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', 401 and 450 'severe' and above 450 'severe plus'.
Among other places in Haryana, the AQI was recorded at 289 in Bahadurgarh, 224 in Ballabhgarh, 288 in Bhiwani, 228 in Charkhi Dadri, 236 in Faridabad, 248 in Fatehabad, 252 in Hisar, 232 in Karnal, 251 in Panchkula, 272 in Rohtak, 259 in Sonipat, 217 in Sirsa and 265 in Yamunanagar.
Chandigarh's AQI was recorded at 303.
In Punjab, Amritsar's AQI was also in the 'very poor' category with a reading of 314.
The AQI in Mandi Gobindgarh was at 331, Khanna at 308, Jalandhar at 253, Ludhiana at 214 and Patiala at 260.
The authorities had granted permission to burn only green crackers for a restricted period on Diwali.
In Chandigarh, the twin capital of Punjab and Haryana, green crackers were allowed between 8 pm and 10 pm. However, in many parts of the city, people continued to burst crackers well past the 10 pm limit.
The Punjab government had recently said only green crackers would be allowed during Diwali, Gurpurab, Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Only green crackers, which are free from barium salts or compounds of antimony, lithium, mercury, arsenic, lead or strontium chromate, are permitted for sale and use in Punjab, an official statement had said earlier.
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UP: Misled by GPS navigation, car falls into river from partially constructed bridge, 3 dead
Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.
The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.
"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.
The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.
There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.
Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.
The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) November 24, 2024
