Delhi's air quality improves slightly but remains 'very poor' for 4th day
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi's air quality showed a slight improvement on Thursday but remained in the "very poor" category for the fourth consecutive day, aided by stronger surface winds that helped disperse pollutants.
The city’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 305 at 4 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 410 -- the highest among all the monitoring stations.
Of the 38 monitoring stations across the city, 23 recorded "very poor" air quality, while 14 fell under the "poor" category, according to the Sameer app created by the CPCB.
Delhi was the fifth most-polluted city in the country on Thursday, with Bahadurgarh recording an AQI of 325.
In comparison, neighbouring National Capital Region (NCR) cities, such as Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad, reported better air quality, remaining in the "poor" category with AQI levels in the 200 range, according to the CPCB.
A haze shrouded Delhi during the day, with wind speeds reaching 10-15 kmph in the afternoon hours.
Forecasts from the Centre's Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) indicate that Delhi's AQI will likely remain in the "very poor" category till Saturday, after which it may fluctuate between "poor" and "very poor" over the next six days.
According to the 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", and 401 and 500 "severe".
Transport emissions accounted for 15.7 per cent in Delhi's air pollution on Thursday, according to data from the Decision Support System (DSS).
Residential sources contributed 4 per cent, Delhi and peripheral industries 3.4 per cent, neighbouring cities 4-5 per cent and other sources 35 per cent.
Meanwhile, satellite data showed 69 incidents of stubble burning in Punjab, three in Haryana and 44 in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.
On the weather front, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 32.2 degrees Celsius on Thursday, 0.1 degree above normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 18.1 degrees Celsius.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast mist for Friday morning, with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to hover around 32 degrees Celsius and 18 degrees Celsius, respectively.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
