Delhi Winter Pollution Plan: From November 1 to February 28, major steps like work from home for 50% employees, changed office timings and reducing traffic will be taken.
Delhi WFH Winter Rule: The government has taken a big and permanent decision to deal with the increasing air pollution during winter in Delhi. Now a fixed Winter Pollution Action Plan will be automatically implemented every year from November 1 to February 28. Under this new system, steps like implementing work from home (WFH) for 50 percent of the employees in government and private offices, changing office timings and reducing traffic will be taken. The government believes that this will help in controlling pollution levels in winter.
Winter action plan will be applicable for 4 months every year
Under the new policy, there will no longer be a need to issue separate orders every year. This framework will be automatically effective from 1 November to 28 February. According to media reports, between November 1 and January 31, only 50 percent of the employees in any government or private institution will come to office at a time, while the rest of the employees will work from home. The government has also appealed to private companies to promote carpooling, ride-sharing and greater use of public transport to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads.
Office timings will change, essential services will be exempted
Under the new system, office timings will also be changed. As per the proposal, MCD offices will operate from 8:30 am to 5 pm, while Delhi government offices will operate from 10 am to 6:30 pm. Its objective is to reduce the pressure of peak hour traffic. However, departments related to health services, emergency services, public transport, electricity-water, sanitation, disaster management and pollution control will be kept out of the scope of work from home so that essential services continue without any interruption.
Permanent strategy prepared on the basis of AQI data
According to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, this permanent plan has been prepared after analyzing the air quality data of the last several years. According to government data, in the last three winters, the average AQI of Delhi remained between 312 to 342, while on some days it reached 461 to 494.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the purpose of this permanent framework is to implement pollution control measures in a uniform manner. This policy has been prepared keeping in mind the instructions of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), orders of the Supreme Court and latest air quality data. This will facilitate citizens, industries and government agencies to plan in advance and provide a consistent mechanism to deal with winter pollution every year.