In response to the rising air pollution levels in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday (November 7) announced revised working hours for all Delhi Government and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) offices. The new timings will be in effect from November 15, 2025, to February 15, 2026.As per the new schedule, Delhi Government offices will function from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., while MCD offices will operate from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. At present, the government offices run from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and MCD offices from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Officials said the overlapping schedules created heavy traffic during peak hours, worsening congestion and contributing to poor air quality.The move comes as Delhi recorded the most polluted air in the country on Friday, with a 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 322 — placing the city firmly in the “red zone,” according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.
Also Read: Delhi-NCR’s toxic air linked to rising cases of migraine and stroke, experts warnThe capital rose to the top of the pollution chart from the fifth position a day earlier. Among NCR towns, Ghaziabad recorded an AQI of 314, while Noida stood at 306, both falling in the “very poor” category. Data from the CPCB’s Sameer app showed that 29 out of 38 monitoring stations in Delhi reported AQI levels above 300. PM2.5 continued to be the dominant pollutant.
The Decision Support System (DSS) for air quality forecasting estimated that stubble burning contributed 8.6% to Delhi’s pollution on Friday, with the share expected to rise sharply to 30.9% on Saturday and 31.2% on Sunday.Satellite data showed that on Thursday, a total of 351 stubble-burning incidents were detected in Punjab, 35 in Haryana, and 200 in Uttar Pradesh. Apart from stubble burning, Delhi’s transport sector is expected to contribute 15 per cent on Saturday and 14 per cent on Sunday to the city’s PM2.5 levels.Also Read: Delhi-NCR air quality still ‘very poor’, AQI recorded at 392According to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category over the next few days. Since Diwali, the national capital’s air quality has been either ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’, occasionally worsening to ‘severe’.On the weather front, the mercury in the city continues to dip. Delhi recorded its coldest night of the season on Friday, with the mercury settling at 12.7 degrees Celsius, the same as Thursday.The city recorded a maximum temperature of 28.6 degrees Celsius, 0.9 degrees below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The previous lowest this season was 15.8 degrees Celsius, recorded on October 26.Also Read: Delhi-NCR’s air quality turns ‘very poor’, Mumbai not far behindFirst Published: Nov 7, 2025 11:49 PM IST
