New Delhi
oi-Swastika Sruti
Cheers to Delhiites as the Delhi government has come up with a step to avoid being open to pollution in the national capital. CM Rekha Gupta and the cabinet has decided to implement a permanent winter work-from-home (WFH) policy for government organizations and big firms.
A new permanent Delhi government policy requires government departments and firms with over 50 employees to have 50% staff work from home annually from Nov 1-Feb 28 to reduce winter pollution, facing fines up to ₹5 lakhs for non-compliance.
The WFH policy is expected to be implemented each year between November 1 and February 28.
50% Workforce to Work From Home
As per the new rule, all Central and Delhi government departments functioning in the national capital and all private companies having a workforce of more than 50 should make sure that not more than half of their employees be physically present at the work place in the winter season.
This reduction in the number of individuals traveling every day is expected to bring down pollution levels, specifically the vehicle emissions that contribute greatly to pollution in Delhi.
However, this particular rule will not be applicable for essential services such as health care and other critical sectors.
Companies Must Submit Compliance Reports
For the correct implementation of the policy, the firms operating under this policy are expected to submit their reports regarding compliance to the DPCC on a monthly basis.
The government is looking to regulate this through self-reporting, random inspection and data collected through traffic sensors as well as Delhi Metro ridership.
It is worth noting that the companies that fail to implement this policy may be penalized through warning to fines up to ₹5 lakhs.
Why Is the Policy Needed?
Delhi suffers from some of the most polluted air conditions around the world in the winter season. During November and February, air quality in the city frequently reaches “severe” and “hazardous” levels owing to several reasons like crop residue burning in neighboring states, industrial pollution, vehicular pollution, construction dust, and atmospheric conditions which result in trapping of the pollutants near the ground level.
Low-quality air conditions during the period result in increased incidences of respiratory ailments, asthma attacks, heart ailments and various other diseases.
It has been contended for quite some time that reduction in the number of vehicles on roads will greatly improve the air quality.
Research shows that reducing peak-hour traffic by 20%-30% could result in reduction in dangerous PM2.5 air pollutants.
Several lakh vehicle trips on Delhi roads are expected to be cut down owing to new work from home policy.
CM Rekha Gupta Calls for Public Participation
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta made it clear while announcing the decision that any attempt at cleaning the city’s air needs to be a combined effort from both sides.
“It takes efforts from everybody in order to keep Delhi clean and healthy,” she declared.
While the government is looking forward to making this initiative a permanent one, it is not seen as an urgent step against pollution.
