India, Nov. 11 -- The Ghaziabad district administration on Wednesday directed schools to operate in hybrid mode till Class 5, wherever possible, under the GRAP-3 measures in place curb rising air pollution.

The district administration also extended the ban on all public and private construction and demolition activities till November 20. Further, directions were issued to carry out mechanical sweeping and water sprinkling at double the current capacity. The decisions were taken following a meeting under the chairmanship of the district magistrate, and was attended by officials from relevant departments.

Ghaziabad's air quality index (AQI) was in the 'poor' category on Wednesday, with a reading of 297 as of 4 pm on Wednesday, according t...