NEW DELHI: As the national capital continues to suffocate due to severe air pollution, the Delhi government on Wednesday morning announced work from home (WFH) for 50% of its employees.
In a post on X, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said, "To reduce pollution, Delhi government has decided to give work from home in government offices. 50% of employees will work from home. For its implementation, a meeting will be held with the officials at 1 pm today in the Secretariat."
The announcement was made a day after Gopal Rai held a meeting saying that the government may decide on work from home and odd-even rule policies soon.
The minister also asked private sector offices to run at half capacity. “Private offices in Delhi must switch to 50 per cent of their employees working from home. The directions for the same are to be implemented,” said Rai after a meeting with officials at Delhi Secretariat.
Rai suggested that private entities consider shifting office hours to begin between 10:30 am and 11:00 am to reduce vehicular congestion during peak hours. The Delhi government urged private companies to provide shuttle bus services for employees, particularly in areas with a significant workforce.
However, essential services such as healthcare, sanitation, public transport, fire services, law enforcement, power supply, water treatment, and emergency response operations will continue to work in full capacity to ensure public services remain unaffected.
Rai criticised the BJP-led governments in neighbouring states, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, for "failing" to implement effective pollution control measures.
"Delhi is surrounded by BJP-ruled states, and their inaction is impacting us. I urge them to join efforts to combat pollution, as the Delhi government is doing," Rai stated.
On Monday this week, schools colleges and Universities went online as AQI further dipped in the city.
Delhi has been grappling with alarming levels of air pollution, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) remaining in the 'severe' category for three days including Wednesday.
At 7 am on Wednesday, Delhi’s average AQI stood at 423, with the most polluted areas being Mundka (464), followed by Wazirpur and Alipur (462). The dense smog also affected visibility, with only 800 meters recorded at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that smog or shallow fog conditions would persist throughout the day, further exacerbating the city’s pollution crisis.
Government keen on having Artificial Rains
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday wrote a letter to the Centre seeking clearance for allowing artificial rain in the national Capital. He requested to convene an urgent meeting with experts in IIT Kanpur and the Central government agencies.
He also lashed out at the Central government accusing its environment minister of “sleeping over repeated requests by the Delhi government to call an emergency meet” over the alarming pollution scenario in Delhi. He stated that the GRAP measures should be implemented across the entire north India, while alleging that the rules are being violated in BJP-led states. “If the Central government cannot act, their minister should resign,” Rai added.
(With inputs from PTI)