Noida/Ghaziabad, Nov. 13 -- Amid mounting criticism from parents over inaction despite hazardous air quality, Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate Medha Roopam on Wednesday ordered that all schools in Noida and Greater Noida conduct classes up to Class V in hybrid mode until further notice, in line with the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) directive issued earlier this week for NCR schools, officials said.

The decision came as Noida's air quality index (AQI) remained in the "severe" category (408) for the second consecutive day, while Greater Noida and Ghaziabad recorded "very poor" levels of 388 and 356, respectively, according to the daily national bulletin by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) released on 4pm. On ...