Delhi Air Pollution: 50 pc WFH Mandate and Construction Ban - Deets Inside

The Delhi government on Wednesday directed all government and private offices across the national capital to ensure that at least 50 percent of their workforce operates under a work-from-home (WFH) arrangement, as part of emergency measures to curb worsening air pollution.

According to reports, the directive applies to offices operating within the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, with exemptions granted only to essential services such as healthcare, police, banking, and other critical operations. Addressing a press conference, Delhi Cabinet Minister Kapil Mishra clarified that no office is allowed to have more than half of its staff physically present at the workplace, and the remaining employees must work remotely.

In another major relief measure, the Delhi government announced financial assistance for construction workers affected by the ongoing construction ban. Minister Kapil Mishra said that an amount of Rs 10,000 would be directly transferred to the bank accounts of all registered and verified construction workers whose livelihoods have been impacted by the suspension of construction activities.

The decision follows the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) enforcing Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) from December 13, after pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR surged to severe levels. GRAP-IV represents the strictest set of restrictions under the pollution control framework.

Under Stage IV, all construction and demolition activities are completely banned, including linear infrastructure projects such as highways, flyovers, roads, pipelines, power lines, and telecom works. Entry of trucks into Delhi is prohibited, except for vehicles carrying essential goods. Only CNG, LNG, electric, and BS-VI diesel trucks are permitted. Additionally, Delhi-registered BS-IV or older diesel heavy goods vehicles are barred, with limited exemptions for essential services.

Schools in Delhi and the most affected NCR districts have also been instructed to operate in a hybrid mode, allowing students from primary classes to Classes VI–IX and XI to attend online classes where feasible.

Every winter, air pollution restrictions are implemented across the Delhi-NCR under GRAP, which classifies air quality into four stages ranging from “Poor” to “Severe Plus,” based on AQI levels.