In light of the alarming air pollution in the national capital, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced a change in office timings for Delhi government and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) employees. To combat the city's increasing pollution, staggered working hours will be implemented from November 15 to February 15.
An official statement detailed the new schedule: Delhi government offices will operate from 10 am to 6:30 pm. Meanwhile, MCD offices will begin earlier, running from 8:30 am to 5 pm. Currently, Delhi government offices work from 9:30 am to 6 pm, and MCD offices from 9 am to 5:30 pm.
Given the anticipated rise in pollution from November 15 to February 15, 2026, the government introduced these new winter office timings.
The official statement explained that the previous schedule had only a 30-minute difference between the two office types, which led to heavy traffic jams during both morning and evening rush hours, making Delhi's air pollution worse.
This decision is a preventive step against pollution — to prevent all vehicles from hitting the roads at the same time, thus spreading out traffic more evenly and helping lower overall pollution levels.
CM Gupta said that this action followed a meeting with senior scientific officers from the Department of Environment, where they reviewed Delhi's worsening air quality.
She highlighted that during winter, harmful pollutants like PM2.5 and PM10 increase significantly beyond safe levels. This severely degrades air quality and poses serious health risks to the public.
Gupta explained that particulate matter (PM) — tiny particles 10 microns or smaller, and especially those 2.5 microns or less — have a dangerous chemical makeup. Breathing in this polluted air can lead to various health problems.
Gupta noted that by widening the time difference between the two office schedules, fewer vehicles would be on the roads simultaneously. This approach is expected to significantly aid in controlling pollution.
The chief minister also directed officials to strictly follow the new schedule and to constantly monitor both traffic and pollution levels. According to the statement, she believes these measures will successfully reduce pollution and offer much-needed relief to the people of Delhi.
