 "Delhi govt orders 50% of staff to work from home amid severe air pollution")
Amid a significant rise in pollution levels in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party-led government has instructed 50 per cent of government employees to work remotely.
"To reduce pollution, the Delhi government decided to implement work from home in government offices. 50 per cent of employees will work from home. For its implementation, a meeting will be held with the officials at 1 pm today in the Secretariat," Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said in a post on X.
Delhi's 24-hour average air quality stood at 424 in the "severe" category as of 9 am on Wednesday, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). On Tuesday at 4 pm, it was recorded at 460, also in the "severe" range.
In response to the deteriorating air quality, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena ordered staggered working hours for government offices on Tuesday.
Under the new schedule, offices of the Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will follow different timings. MCD offices will operate from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, while Delhi government offices will run from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm. These changes will remain in effect until February 28, 2025.
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The alarming AQI levels have activated Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), the strictest level of interventions. Measures include banning truck entry, except for those carrying essential goods or using LNG, CNG, BS-VI diesel, or electric power. Non-essential light commercial vehicles from outside the city are also banned from entering the city unless they use approved fuels, or electric power. Additionally, all construction activities for public projects have been halted.
On Tuesday, Gopal Rai wrote to the central government, seeking approval for artificial rain as a measure to tackle the city's worsening air quality. He also urged the Centre to convene a meeting with experts from IIT Kanpur and relevant central agencies to discuss the crisis.