To combat pollution, CM introduces staggered timings for govt offices

In a bid to address the worsening air quality in the Capital, Chief Minister Atishi announced staggered timings for government offices following the imposition of stricter restrictions starting Friday.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) showed a marginal improvement on Friday, moving to the ‘very poor’ category with a 24-hour average of 396, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This was an improvement from the ‘severe’ category readings of 418 on Wednesday and 424 on Thursday.

To reduce congestion and curb pollution, Atishi stated that government offices would operate on staggered schedules. The revised timings for Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) offices will be from 8.30 am to 5 pm. The Central Government offices will run from 9 am to 5.30 pm and the Delhi Government offices will function from 10 am to 6.30 pm.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai held a high-level meeting with key departments to discuss urgent measures under Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Rai stated that the AQI is expected to improve further on Saturday.

“To ensure the effective implementation of GRAP-III, we convened a meeting with officials from departments including the MCD, PWD, Irrigation and Flood Department, DSIIDC, Transport Department, Delhi Metro, DTC and Education Department, along with nodal officers working under the Winter Action Plan,” Rai said.

As part of the measures, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has introduced 106 shuttle bus services, which will run 1,844 trips daily. Of these, 40 services are dedicated to government employees. The shuttle routes will connect areas such as Dwarka, Nehru Place and the CGO Complex, serving offices in regions like Badarpur, Janakpuri and Paharganj.

To further encourage public transport use, the Delhi Metro has increased services by 60 trips. Additionally, the MCD has extended the operating hours of 65 mechanical road sweeper machines, which will now run from 6 am to 4 pm.

Under GRAP-III, a blanket ban has been enforced on private construction and demolition activities. This includes halting excavation work, such as boring and drilling, as well as activities like brick masonry, gas cutting, stone cutting and grinding. However, minor internal repair work is permitted.

The transport of dust-generating material like cement, fly ash and gravel has also been restricted, and vehicles carrying such material are banned from using unpaved roads.

The Transport Department has deployed 84 enforcement teams, while 280 teams from the Transport Police have been tasked with ensuring compliance. Violators of these rules will face a fine of Rs 20,000.