Delhi orders 50% work from home, vehicle bans as toxic smog chokes city

Highlights:

Authorities in India’s capital have imposed sweeping emergency measures to combat dangerously high air pollution, including mandatory work-from-home rules for offices and strict limits on vehicle entry, as toxic smog continues to blanket the city.

Delhi’s air quality has remained in the “severe” category for three consecutive days, prompting officials to activate additional curbs under India’s Graded Response Action Plan, or GRAP, a framework triggered during extreme pollution episodes.

The measures come after India’s Supreme Court criticized the government’s response and urged officials to adopt a more comprehensive strategy to address the crisis.

Under the new rules, government and private offices must operate with only 50% of staff on-site, with the remaining employees working from home. Essential services — including hospitals, emergency responders, sanitation workers and public transport — are exempt.

The city has also tightened vehicle restrictions. Cars and trucks entering Delhi from outside the capital must meet India’s strictest emissions standards, while authorities have been authorized to act against older, more polluting vehicles already on the roads.

To enforce the crackdown, police and transport officials have been deployed at city borders, fuel stations and key traffic points. Vehicles without valid emissions certificates will be denied fuel.

Officials say the measures are aimed at reducing traffic congestion and cutting emissions during one of the worst pollution spells of the winter season. Delhi is also planning to launch a citywide carpooling app to reduce the number of vehicles on the road.