Authorities in India’s capital Delhi rolled out strict measures on Wednesday in an attempt to curb pollution, including a ban on vehicles not compliant with the latest emission control norms and regulating attendance in private and government offices.
The air quality index in the Delhi region, home to 30 million people, has been in the “severe” category for the past few days, often crossing the 450 mark. In addition, shallow fog in parts of the city worsened visibility that affected flights and trains.
This prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management to invoke stage four, the highest level, of the graded response action plan for Delhi and surrounding areas on Saturday.
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The curbs ban the entry of older diesel trucks into the city, suspend construction, including on public projects, and impose hybrid schooling.
Kapil Mishra, a minister in the local government, announced on Wednesday that all private and government offices in the city would operate with 50 per cent attendance, with the remainder working from home, apart from some exceptions.
Additionally, all registered construction workers, many of them earning daily wages, would be given compensation of 10,000 rupees (US$110) because of the ban, Mishra said at a press conference in Delhi.