In view of the dense smog, the Haryana government has announced that all government, government-aided and unaided private schools will now start from 9 a.m. and end at 3.30 p.m. till the end of the month.
Both branches of The Shri Ram School in Gurugram will, however, remain closed on Wednesday in view of high levels of pollution.
Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma said that the orders would be applicable with immediate effect.
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Though several schools in Gurugram sent across communication to parents regarding the change in timings, the authorities of The Shri Ram School decided to keep both its branches at DLF Phase-III and Phase-IV closed on Wednesday. The school authorities said that the situation would be reviewed again on Wednesday.
The Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram, Vinay Pratap Singh, said that the decision to shut down schools in the city would be taken after monitoring the situation for two days.
Many schools in Gurugram have already suspended outdoor activities.
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Fines issued
Meanwhile, Haryana Environment Minister Vipul Goel claimed that FIRs were filed against 227 farmers for burning crop stubble and a fines totalling ₹11 lakh were imposed on 454 farmers.
He also made an appeal to farmers to not burn crop residue, which has been blamed as a major reason for the recent spike in air pollution levels.