District level teams to enforce work from home direction amid rising air pollution

New Delhi: Cross-departmental teams formed for enforcing the implementation of GRAP norms will enforce the work from home directions for private offices in view of alarming levels of air pollution in the city, officials said on Tuesday.

The environment department on Monday issued an order for work from home direction to all Delhi government and private offices in the city under the revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), stage III, imposed in view of the high air quality index.

“We have already formed teams of officials, including those from the revenue department, MCD, and DPCC, for enforcing pollution-related orders. These teams will also ensure that the latest direction is implemented without any lapses,” said a senior revenue officer from West Delhi.

Delhi Police officials said that they will work in coordination with the district magistrates for planning and executing the order for work from home. “Whenever government orders of this nature are released, the district magistrate formally conveys the instructions to us along with the enforcement measures required,” said a senior police officer.

The police will extend complete cooperation to the district administration in implementing the directive and will take all mandated legal action against any violations to ensure strict compliance, he said.

According to the order, all private offices functioning within the national capital territory of Delhi will operate with the presence of only 50 per cent staff. The remaining staff will “mandatorily” work from home, it said.

The offices associated with essential services such as hospitals and other health establishments, fire services, prisons, public transport, electricity, water, sanitation and related municipal services will be exempted from the work from home direction.

The district magistrates, deputy commissioners of police and local bodies will ensure compliance with the directions by all the private offices functioning within Delhi, said the order.

Any violation of the direction issued under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, will be punishable under Sections 15 and 16 of the Act, it added.