The Delhi government on Monday announced a set of measures to curb air pollution during the winter months, including restrictions on construction and demolition, higher parking charges, staggered office timings and increased use of work-from-home (WFH) arrangements.
The measures form part of the consolidated Winter Pollution Action Plan notified in July. The plan will come into force every year from November 1 to February 28.
Parking charges to double
Parking charges at authorised parking sites will be doubled from November 1, 2026, to February 28, 2027. Parking facilities operated by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) are exempt from the provision.
Offices to follow hybrid work
The government has introduced staggered timings at public offices and mandated 50 per cent physical attendance at government and private establishments. The remaining 50 per cent of employees will work from home.
Municipal Corporation of Delhi offices will operate from 8:30 am to 5 pm, while Delhi government offices will function from 10 am to 6:30 pm during the winter period. Private offices have also been asked to encourage carpooling, ride-sharing and public transport.
Essential and emergency services are exempted under the action plan.
Construction curbs from November 1
Dust-generating demolition work and outdoor civil construction activities will be prohibited from November 1 to January 31.
A stricter ban will apply from December 10 to January 20. During this period, construction and demolition activities will be completely prohibited.
Last month, Gupta said construction sites measuring more than 500 square metres would be monitored through the Delhi government’s Dust Portal and AI-enabled cameras.
“Construction will be completely banned from 10 December to 20 January. If you spot any violation, inform MCD, your MLA, or me directly,” Gupta said in a post on X.
Gupta also said construction had continued at some sites during the previous winter despite restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap).
“Last time, even under Grap, some construction continued behind covers,” she said.
Dust Portal to monitor construction sites
In July, the Delhi government launched Dust Portal 2.0 to monitor construction and demolition sites and strengthen enforcement of dust-control measures.
The portal, developed by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, uses GIS mapping, live 360-degree PTZ cameras, PM10 and PM2.5 sensors, and AI-based analytics. It can monitor construction sites measuring 500 square yards or more.
The system generates yellow, orange and red alerts based on pollution levels and allows digital issuance of compliance certificates and enforcement notices. It also provides district-level dashboards, pollution trends and hotspot analysis.
Year-round PUC enforcement
The winter plan also provides for year-round enforcement of Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) requirements.
Fuel stations across Delhi will be permitted to supply petrol, diesel and CNG only to vehicles carrying a valid PUCC. Compliance can be checked through physical certificates, automatic number plate recognition systems or electronic databases such as VAHAN.
The Delhi government has also announced an enforcement drive against vehicles with invalid PUC certificates from October 1.
The plan also restricts the entry and movement of vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not meet BS-VI emission standards from November 1 to January 31. Electric and CNG vehicles, emergency services and other exempt categories are not covered by the restriction.
