Delhi air pollution: Centre opposes work from home, advocates for carpooling

The Central government has told the Supreme Court of India that it is not in favour of asking employees to work from home despite the rise in pollution levels in the national capital Delhi. Instead, it has advised its employees to resort to carpooling to reduce the number of vehicles used by them for commuting.

It said that the vehicles used by Central government are a minuscule fraction of the total vehicles in Delhi and stopping their plying would not make much impact towards improving the air quality of Delhi. In the previous hearing, the apex court had asked the Centre and Delhi government to consider work from home for at least a week.

Delhi is reeling under severe pollution problems and the air quality has continued to be in the "very poor" category. The city recorded its air quality index at 389 at 9 am. It had slipped into the severe zone on Tuesday and was recorded at 403 at 4 pm.

Faridabad (350), Ghaziabad (368), Greater Noida (358), Gurugram (354), and Noida (369) also recorded their air quality in the very poor category.

Delhi Transport Minister Ashok Gehlot has said that the pollution problem is not Delhi-centric, it has to do with NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and other adjoining states. Concrete steps should be taken by them.

Stubble burning, vehicular pollution, Industries smoke are some of the critical factors that have accounted harmed Delhi's pollution level.

Yesterday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and adjoining Areas (CAQM)issued directions like a ban on construction work, shutting of public schools, work from home, among other measures to control air pollution in the region.

Currently, all education institutes have been shut in the Delhi-NCR region until further orders. The construction activities and demolition activities have also been halted until November 21. Trucks carrying non-essential items have been banned from entering Delhi till November 21.

The hospitals in Delhi have witnessed a surge in patients with respiratory ailments. Medical Director of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, Suresh Kumar told ANI news agency that on a daily basis 10-15 people including children with such ailments are reporting to the hospital.

This week, the Supreme Court slammed both Centre and Delhi government for not taking the pollution problem seriously. The Supreme Court termed the rise in air pollution in Delhi-NCR an "emergency" situation. A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said the situation of pollution is so bad that people are wearing masks inside their houses.