Delhi govt asks offices to work at 50% strength as air quality deteriorates

Delhi Pollution

As the air quality deteriorates in the national capital, the Delhi government on Monday directed all government and private offices in the Capital to operate at no more than 50% staff strength, with the remaining employees required to work from home, as part of emergency curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III.

The order was issued by the Department of Environment & Forests under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

The missive comes amid a sustained deterioration in Delhi’s air quality, with pollution levels — especially PM2.5 and PM10 — breaching prescribed standards during peak winter months.

The Delhi government had already announced certain restrictions for schools including not letting children play in the open when the air quality is extremely poor. Public offices were anyway expected to see low attendance on Tuesday after the Delhi government announced a public holiday to mark the 350th Shaheedi Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur.

Delhi has been notified as an air pollution control area since 1987, and authorities have invoked successive stages of GRAP since mid-October following directions from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).

The CAQM takes data from the entire National Capital Region (NCR), and based on average air quality index (AQI) and weather conditions, it coordinates with other agencies and authorities to respond appropriately.