50% of Delhi government employees to work from home amid severe pollution

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, November 20, 2024: The Delhi government announced today that 50 per cent of its staff will work from home today as the national capital continues to grapple with severe air pollution.

Air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR have breached the "severe" threshold, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) consistently above 450 in many areas. This high AQI has activated Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) - the most stringent level aimed at tackling hazardous pollution.

"To reduce pollution, Delhi government has decided to work from home in government offices. 50% of employees will work from home. For its implementation, a meeting will be held with officials at 1 pm today in the Secretariat," announced Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai.

Recently, the Delhi government announced staggered office timings for its offices and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).  

A ban has been imposed on BS-IV and older diesel medium and heavy goods vehicles (MGVs and HGVs) registered in Delhi, except those providing essential services. Similar bans apply to BS-III petrol vehicles as well.

Schools for Classes 10 to 12 have been temporarily closed to minimise exposure for students.

Last year, the Delhi government collaborated with IIT Kanpur to explore cloud seeding as an emergency measure. Preparations for this year’s operations began in August, but a meeting on this is yet to take place.