Delhi announces work-from-home, Metro Monday and travel curbs in push to cut pollution and fuel use

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday announced a series of austerity and pollution-control measures, including two days of work from home every week for Delhi government employees, restrictions on foreign travel for officials, and a push towards greater use of public transport.

Addressing the media, Gupta said the measures are aimed at reducing fuel consumption and tackling pollution levels in the national capital.

“First, emphasis has been placed on saving petrol and diesel so that fuel consumption can be reduced. For this, measures have been planned at two levels, government and private. At the government level, Delhi Government offices will observe work from home for two days every week. Similarly, private companies and institutions will also be advised to implement work from home for two days a week.
This will be an advisory, and the Labour Department will monitor its implementation,” Rekha Gupta said.

As part of the measures, Delhi government office timings will now be from 10:30 am to 7 pm, while Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) offices will function from 8:30 am to 5 pm.

Announcing the measures, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said all Delhi government offices will now maintain AC temperatures between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius to curb excessive power consumption. The government will also install smart switches in offices to prevent electricity wastage.

The austerity measures extend to official travel as well. Ministers and government officials will not undertake any official foreign visits for one year beginning Friday, while all planned overseas events have been cancelled.

In another step to encourage public transport usage, the Delhi government will introduce “Metro Monday”, under which Mondays will be observed as a metro travel day. Citizens have also been urged to observe a “No Vehicle Day” once every week.

The government said 58 special feeder bus services connecting 29 government colonies to metro stations will be introduced, and employees using public transport will receive additional transport allowance incentives.

Gupta further said that 50% of government meetings will now be held online and colleges and universities will be encouraged to adopt online modes wherever possible.

Petrol allowances allotted to officers, currently between 200 and 250 litres per month, will be reduced by 20%, bringing the revised cap down to 160-200 litres. The Delhi government also announced that no major government events will be organised for the next three months and no new government vehicles will be purchased for six months.

The chief minister added that Delhi’s new EV policy is “almost ready.”