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Delhi Smog Forces 50% Staff Work From Home
14 Nov
Summary
- Delhi ministers mandated 50% staff to work from home.
- Air quality index reached 'severe' levels, touching 403.
- Essential services like hospitals are exempt from the WFH rule.
Delhi is experiencing a severe air pollution crisis, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 403 on Friday. In response, two Delhi government ministers have mandated that 50% of employees in their departments work from home. This initiative is designed to decrease vehicular traffic and thus reduce pollution.
Essential services, such as hospital personnel, are explicitly exempted from the work-from-home directive. Other critical services like fire brigades and public transport may also be exempt based on operational needs. This measure is part of Delhi's winter action plan and the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III, which aims to control pollution levels from November 5 to 20.
The directive applies to government and private offices in Delhi and five surrounding NCR districts. While Administrative Secretaries and Department Heads are expected to attend regularly, they can call additional staff as needed for essential services. The objective is to balance pollution control with the continued delivery of public services.
