Delhi government offices and private establishments will operate at 50% physical attendance every year from November 1 to January 31 under the capital’s consolidated Winter Pollution Action Plan, with the remaining workforce required to work from home to reduce vehicular emissions during the peak smog season.
The Delhi government on Monday, 28 September 2026, laid out the operational package of measures for winter, including construction and demolition restrictions, higher parking charges, staggered office timings and expanded work-from-home arrangements.
The measures form part of a permanent framework the state gazetted on 1 July 2026, notified under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, which will automatically come into force every year between November 1 and February 28 unless superseded by stricter measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
Under the plan, dust-generating demolition work and outdoor civil construction will be prohibited from November 1 to January 31, with a stricter ban on all construction and demolition activities from December 10 to January 20. Fuel stations across Delhi will also be allowed to dispense petrol, diesel and CNG only to vehicles carrying a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC).
The permanent policy replaces the earlier practice of issuing stage-wise notifications each winter. “The plan was prepared after analysing the trends in air quality in the past few years,” Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the permanent policy was “aimed at ensuring uniform implementation of pollution control measures instead of imposing restrictions at different stages of the winter season.”
Government data cited in the plan shows Delhi’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) ranged between 312 and 342 during the last three winter seasons, with peak AQI levels reaching between 461 and 494. Delhi government offices will function from 10 am to 6:30 pm and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) offices from 8:30 am to 5 pm during the winter window.
Commercial complexes, malls, hotels, office buildings and institutional facilities larger than 3,000 square metres with a height of G+5 or above are required to install anti-smog guns or mist systems, while construction sites exceeding 1,000 square metres must deploy dust suppression systems. Essential services, healthcare, emergency response and certain critical infrastructure sectors are exempt from the 50% WFH cap.
