Offices To Operate At Half Strength, WFH For Others As Delhi Tightens Anti-Pollution Curbs

The Delhi government on Monday instructed all government and private offices to cap on-site attendance at 50 per cent, with the remaining workforce required to operate from home, as part of emergency measures

enforced under Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III.

The order, issued by the Department of Environment & Forests under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, comes amid a persistent spike in pollution levels across the national capital.

Air quality in Delhi has continued to deteriorate through the winter months, with concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 repeatedly crossing safe limits.

Declared an air pollution control area in 1987, Delhi has been implementing escalating GRAP curbs since mid-October at the direction of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).

Some restrictions were already in place, including curbs in schools that bar children from outdoor activities when air quality dips into the “very poor” or “severe” categories.

GRAP serves as the Capital’s graded action mechanism, outlining the extent of curbs required depending on the severity of winter pollution.

The CAQM monitors air quality and weather data from across the National Capital Region and coordinates with multiple agencies to determine and implement the necessary response.

The latest restrictions were issued after the CAQM updated the GRAP schedule, following Supreme Court hearings on November 17 and 19 in the MC Mehta air pollution case and subsequent consultations on November 20.

Under the revised framework, a provision previously reserved for GRAP Stage IV, directing offices to function with only half their staff on-site, has now been moved to Stage III to enable faster intervention during severe pollution spells.

Key services including hospitals, health facilities, fire departments, prisons, public transport, electricity and water utilities, sanitation agencies, disaster management units, and bodies involved in pollution control or enforcement will not be subject to the 50% attendance cap.

The directive takes immediate effect and will remain in force for the full duration of GRAP Stage III.

District Magistrates, Deputy Commissioners of Police, and local civic bodies have been instructed to ensure strict compliance across all government and private workplaces.