Government and private offices in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar must operate with no more than 50% physical staff attendance from November 5 to November 20, under a fresh order from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
The order, dated October 30 and signed by Member Secretary Tarun Kumar Pithode, lays down precautionary pollution-control measures for the 16-day window under Section 12 of the CAQM Act, 2021.
The remaining employees will work from home. Industrial establishments and essential services where work-from-home is not feasible have been exempted.
Alongside the office curbs, CAQM has restricted dust-generating demolition and outdoor construction activities across the entire NCR. The restriction covers linear public infrastructure projects such as highways, flyovers, power transmission lines, pipelines and telecommunication works. Projects related to railways, metro services, airports, inter-state bus terminals, hospitals, water supply and sanitation, national security and defence have been exempted.
“Data for the 2018-2025 period show that air pollution in Delhi-NCR turns most toxic in the first and middle weeks of November,” the CAQM directions noted, explaining the window chosen for the curbs.
The directions have been sent to the chief secretaries of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi. Local administrations, police, and pollution control board teams have been directed to ensure compliance. Flying squads will monitor violations from November 5, with construction sites and companies violating the restrictions facing heavy fines.
The CAQM order follows the revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) schedule issued on September 29, 2026. Under the plan, which runs from November 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027, stricter measures have been moved to earlier stages of pollution.
The Delhi government had earlier directed its own government and private offices to adopt a 50% WFH arrangement from November 1 as part of the state’s winter pollution plan.
Noida AQI was recorded at 397, Greater Noida at 382, Manesar at 342, and Gurugram at 286 in recent monitoring readings ahead of the implementation window.
HR and operations leaders in NCR-based organisations will need to finalise rostering, laptop logistics, and attendance tracking before the November 5 deadline.
