Delhi's toxic air: Govt and private offices told to ensure 50% staff work from home

Delhi Pollution

With pollution in the national capital worsening, the Delhi government on Monday directed all government departments and private offices to function with only 50% staff on-site.

The remaining employees must work from home as part of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage 3 measures. The order was issued as the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) hovered close to the ‘severe’ category.

The directive was issued by the Environment Department under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and applies to all offices operating within the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Officials said the aim is to reduce vehicular traffic linked to office commutes, which remains a key contributor to pollution during winter months.

What does the directive say

According to the order, all administrative secretaries and heads of departments must continue to attend office as usual. However, physical attendance of other staff members has been capped at 50%. The rest will work from home until further instructions.

The order also urged private offices to implement staggered working hours wherever feasible, ensure strict compliance with work-from-home norms, and minimise vehicular movement associated with office commutes.

Who is exempted?

Essential services have been kept out of these restrictions. The exempted departments include:

• Hospitals and healthcare establishments, fire services
• Prisons, public transport, electricity and water supply
• Sanitation services and municipal bodies, disaster management services
• Departments responsible for pollution control, monitoring and enforcement

Teams already deployed for tasks such as checking biomass burning, controlling dust, and implementing GRAP measures will continue their work without restrictions.

Delhi AQI still in ‘very poor’ zone

Delhi’s overall AQI on Tuesday morning stood at 363, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category. Several places in the city slipped into the ‘severe’ zone. Rohini recorded the highest AQI at 416, followed by Anand Vihar at 401. Jahangirpuri and Wazirpur both logged readings of 400 at 8 am.

Noida recorded an AQI of 390, close to the severe mark. Ghaziabad reported very poor air at 348, while Gurugram stood at 311. Faridabad fared slightly better with an AQI of 222 but remained in the ‘poor’ category.