The Air Quality Index or AQI in several areas of Delhi-NCR has been consistently hovering above 450. Simply put, the capital and its neighbouring areas are like gas chambers due to the severe pollution.
Therefore, the Delhi government has allowed 50 per cent of its employees to work from home. With the fourth stage of the Graded Response Action Plan or GRAP having commenced, the Delhi government had already announced staggered office timings for its various offices as well as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
Recently, the Central Secretariat Service (CSS) officers had written to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) calling for immediate workplace measures to safeguard health and productivity. In fact, the CSS Forum had urged for work-from-home options, staggered office hours, and installation of air purifiers in Central government buildings.
The association had tried to draw attention to the fact that employees are increasingly reporting respiratory problems, eye irritation, fatigue, and general discomfort due to the alarming AQI levels. Many employees have complained of itchy eyes and difficulty breathing as smog envelops the city.
The forum has also been urging the adoption of guidelines promoting carpooling, public transport usage, and energy-efficient office operations to mitigate the health and environmental impact of the crisis.
Cloud seeding had been discussed to tackle pollution last year, when the Delhi government had met with IIT Kanpur representatives to look at measures to help the situation.
