CAQM Orders 50% Work-From-Home and Construction Curbs Across Delhi-NCR From Nov. 5 to 20

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has ordered government and private offices in Delhi and five neighboring districts to run at no more than 50% physical attendance from Nov. 5 to 20. The rest of the staff works from home.

The order is dated Oct. 30 and was issued late Friday under Section 12 of the CAQM Act, 2021. Member Secretary Tarun Kumar Pithode signed it.

Who is covered

The attendance cap applies to the National Capital Territory of Delhi plus Gurugram, Faridabad and Sonipat in Haryana, and Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar (which includes Noida) in Uttar Pradesh.

Industrial establishments and essential services where remote work is not feasible are exempt. The order's wording covers "State Government and private offices," so this is a mandate on private employers, not just a request.

The sixteen-day window runs across the entire NCR for construction too. Dust-generating demolition and outdoor construction are restricted from Nov. 5 to 20, and the restriction reaches linear public projects: highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, power transmission lines, pipelines and telecom works.

Exemptions cover railways, Metro, airports, inter-state bus terminals, hospitals, water supply and sanitation, national security and defence activities, and other projects of national importance.

Why now, when the air is not that bad

Delhi's AQI was in the 'moderate' category on Friday, Oct. 30, after rain from storm Arnab. It had been above 200, in the 'poor' category, on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 28 and 29. Light morning smog has started appearing in Gurugram, though readings there remain in the normal range.

The CAQM says the order is preventive. It examined daily AQI data from 2018 to 2025 and found the 'Severe' and 'Severe+' categories on certain days in early to mid-November.

The order cites local emission sources, agricultural residue and biomass burning, and weather: low wind speeds, a shallow atmospheric boundary layer and reduced vertical mixing. It describes the measures as "preventive in nature, limited to a specified period and geographical area."

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi forecasts moderate air through Oct. 31, a drop to 'bad' from Nov. 1, and further deterioration over the following six days.

Delhi's own rules start tomorrow

Separately, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's government has notified a permanent Winter Pollution Action Plan that runs every year from Nov. 1 to Feb. 28. It operates alongside the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which adds restrictions as air quality worsens.

Under the plan:

• "No PUCC, No Fuel." Vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate will not be supplied fuel at covered outlets. Enforcement uses vehicle records and automated number-plate recognition at designated stations.
• Entry curbs. Vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not meet BS-VI emission standards are barred from entering the capital from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31. CNG and electric vehicles, emergency vehicles and other notified categories are exempt.
• Construction. Dust-generating construction and demolition is banned from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31 regardless of GRAP stage. Most construction work halts entirely between Dec. 10 and Jan. 20, except essential public infrastructure and emergency projects. Trucks carrying construction material are barred from entering the city in that peak stretch.
• Parking. Charges at authorised sites double during the winter period.
• Offices. The framework also includes 50% work-from-home for office staff.

Open Magazine's account of the plan also lists new electric road sweepers and IIT Delhi monitoring among the measures.

The Centre rules out a rollback

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced the construction restriction on Friday during a visit to CAQM's new PAVAN Integrated Command and Control Centre in Delhi. He also ruled out any rollback of the Delhi government's order barring non-Delhi vehicles below BS-VI from entering the city.

Yadav said non-conforming industries, polluting sources and traffic congestion hotspots would face swift action through the new monitoring platform.

Separately, the Central Pollution Control Board has directed the state pollution control boards of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to take prompt action against defaulting industrial units in the NCR.

The track record

Construction bans are not new here. Last winter, construction was halted several times under GRAP stages, most recently from Jan. 16 to 22, 2026.

The difference this year is timing. The Nov. 1 plan and the Nov. 5 CAQM order are scheduled in advance, rather than triggered after the AQI crosses a GRAP threshold.

What comes next is measurable. The 'bad' forecast begins tomorrow, Nov. 1, and the CAQM restrictions start Nov. 5. Mid-November is when past years have produced 'Severe' readings, so the daily AQI through Nov. 20 will show whether the early curbs change that pattern.