Delhi Government revises office hours amid alarming Pollution; Click for details

At present the timings of most of the offices are 9:30 am to 6:00 pm for Delhi government employees, and 9:00 am to 5:30 pm for MCD. That means ‘both’ the offices open and close within a 30-minute gap, resulting in heavy traffic and jams in the morning and evening causing rising pollution.

New Delhi: The timings of the Delhi government and the Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD) offices may be changed next week in view of the alarming pollution in the National Capital, reports Dynamite News correspondent.

At present the timings of most of the offices are 9:30 am to 6:00 pm for Delhi government employees, and 9:00 am to 5:30 pm for MCD. That means 'both' the offices open and close within a 30-minute gap, resulting in heavy traffic and jams in the morning and evening causing rising pollution.

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New Timings Proposed

• Delhi Government offices from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm
• Delhi Municipal Corporation offices from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm

Efforts To Control Both Pollution and Traffic

The Delhi government said in a statement that currently, there is only a 30-minute difference between the office hours of Delhi government and Municipal Corporation (MCD) employees, leading to heavy traffic jams during peak hours. This traffic not only causes inconvenience to people, but the smoke from vehicles also makes the air more toxic.

The government believes that changing office hours will reduce traffic congestion and provide some relief to pollution levels.

Air In Capital in the 'Very Poor' Category

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)'s Sameer app, 29 out of 38 monitoring stations in Delhi recorded 'Very Poor' air quality on Friday. The AQI in many areas exceeded 300.

According to a reports, Delhi's 24-hour average AQI as of 4 pm on Friday was recorded at 322, putting the capital in the 'Red Zone'. The main source of pollution was PM2.5 particles. Experts estimate that the transport sector is likely to contribute approximately 15% of PM2.5 pollution on Saturday and 14% on Sunday.

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Worse Situation in NCR

The situation remains worrisome in the NCR cities adjacent to Delhi.

• Ghaziabad recorded an AQI of 314
• Noida recorded an AQI of 306
• Both cities are in the 'very poor' category.
• No relief expected for the next few days

The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) has warned that Delhi's air quality will remain in the 'very poor' category for the next few days. Experts said that due to the drop in temperature and slow winds, pollutants will remain trapped in the atmosphere.