As the national capital grapples with severely poor air quality, the Delhi Government has launched various anti-pollution measures, which will come into effect from 18th December. The measures include shifting offices to a hybrid mode, banning entry for certain vehicles, and a mandatory PUC certificate.
Besides, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has imposed the Graded Response Action Plan- 4 or GRAP-4 restrictions after Delhi’s AQI was registered in the ‘severe’ category on 13th December.
Kapil Mishra, the Delhi Labour Minister, announced that from 18th December onwards, all government and private institutions must adopt a hybrid work-from-home model. The new order states that not more than half of the staff at private offices attend the workplace physically, while the rest work from home mandatorily. This rule, however, comes with some exceptions, especially those for emergency workers and daily-wage labourers.
Earlier, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh announced that vehicles below the BS-VI category and registered outside Delhi will not be allowed to enter Delhi when GRAP 3 and 4 restrictions are imposed.
The government has issued a strict order for petrol pumps: ” No PUC, no petrol .” Special “smart cameras” (ANPR) have been installed at petrol pumps in Delhi. These cameras will scan the vehicle’s number and tell whether the vehicle’s pollution certificate is valid. If the certificate is invalid, fuel will not be given.
In addition, the Delhi government has deployed a large police force to strictly enforce the rules. According to Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, 580 police officers will be deployed on the streets. Additionally, government teams and vans have been deployed at 126 checkpoints to monitor every vehicle passing through.
