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Delhi revises working hours for some government employees amid 'very poor' AQI: Check timings
To address poor air quality, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta has set new working hours for government and MCD employees from November 15 to February 15.
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Friday announced staggered working hours for Delhi government and municipal corporation of Delhi employees from November 15 as the national capital grapples with soaring air quality index (AQI) levels.
Delhi government offices would now function from 10 am to 6.30 pm and MCD offices from 8.30 am to 5 pm, an official release from the Delhi CMO read.
At present, Delhi government offices operate between 9.30 am and 6 pm, and MCD offices from 9 am to 5.30 pm. The revised timings will remain in place till February 15.
Delhi on Friday recorded an AQI of 322, breathing a ‘very poor’ quality air, according to central pollution control board (CPCB)'s daily bulletin.
The statement said that since there is currently only a 30-minute gap between the two schedules, the city experiences heavy traffic congestion both in the morning and the evening, aggravating the city's air pollution.
The measure comes a couple of days after the government of the national capital launched a series of measures to tackle the alarmingly rising pollution levels in the city.
As part of this initiative, an extensive road cleaning operation has been rolled out across all public works department (PWD) roads, with 200 maintenance vans deployed throughout Delhi, a CMO release said.
The operation includes the removal of debris from road surfaces, filling potholes on a priority basis, repairing and upgrading road signage, and carrying out other essential maintenance tasks, it said.
Strict guidelines have been established for the campaign, with individual accountability assigned to each officer, adding that the Delhi government is committed to pollution control and will not tolerate any negligence in this regard, news agency ANI reported quoting chief minister Rekha Gupta.
Gupta stated that coordinated efforts are being undertaken across departments to bring pollution under control.
Teams have been formed to monitor polluting industrial units and vehicles, while focused work continues to normalise identified pollution hot spots.
“As part of this mission, the PWD has launched a special drive for deep cleaning and dust control along all its roads, including right-of-way (RoW) areas. Each of the 200 maintenance vans has been tasked with deep cleaning at least 200 metres of road daily. To ensure accountability, every van is placed under the direct charge of a junior engineer (JE) or assistant engineer (AE),” as per the release.
CM Gupta affirmed that the measures to curb pollution is progressing rapidly across 1,400 kilometres of PWD roads in the capital, ensuring that all work would be completed within the next 45 days, warning that strict action will be taken against any officer failing to meet the targets.
The chief minister reiterated that no laxity will be tolerated in the government's efforts to control pollution. “By cleaning and managing dust and debris on roads, the government aims to bring about a significant improvement in Delhi's air quality,” she said.
