Delhi Government Imposes Work From Home for 50% Employees Amid Severe Air Pollution Crisis

Delhi Government Implements Work From Home Policy Amid Severe Pollution

New Delhi: The Delhi government has announced that 50% of its employees will work from home today due to severe air pollution in the city. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi-NCR has exceeded the “severe” categorized levels, staying above 450 in several regions. This situation has led to the activation of Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the strictest level for addressing dangerous pollution.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai stated, “To reduce pollution, Delhi government has decided to work from home in government offices.” A meeting to discuss the implementation of this decision will take place at 1 PM today in the Secretariat.

Additionally, the Delhi government recently introduced staggered office hours for government offices and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

In response to the pollution crisis, a ban has been placed on BS-IV and older diesel vehicles in Delhi, except for those providing essential services. Similar restrictions apply to BS-III petrol vehicles.

To protect students, schools for classes 10 to 12 have been temporarily closed. Last year, the Delhi government worked with IIT Kanpur to study cloud seeding as an emergency measure, and preparations for this year’s operations began in August, but a meeting on this topic has not yet occurred.