Delhi will impose a four-month ban on dust-generating construction and demolition work from 1 November to 28 February, alongside 50% work-from-home requirements, doubled parking charges and restrictions on older vehicles entering the city, according to a report by Jagran.
The measures form part of the Delhi government’s winter pollution plan. Private and civil construction and demolition activities that generate dust will be prohibited throughout the four-month period. Essential services have been exempted from the work-from-home requirement, under which only half the employees of government and private offices will attend their workplaces while the remaining staff work remotely.
The restrictions will become stricter between 10 December and 20 January, identified in the reported plan as the period when Delhi’s pollution is most sensitive. During this window, vehicles transporting construction materials such as sand, gravel and cement from outside Delhi will not be allowed to enter the city.
Parking fees at authorised parking sites will be doubled to reduce road traffic and vehicle pressure. Metro parking facilities will be excluded from the fee increase. The government has also changed office timings: municipal corporation offices will operate from 8:30 am to 5 pm, while Delhi government offices will operate from 10 am to 6:30 pm.
The plan also includes a year-round fuel restriction. Petrol pumps in Delhi will not provide fuel or gas to vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control certificate. The report says compliance will be checked through digital databases, including the National Registry of Persons and the vehicle portal.
From 1 November to 28 February, vehicles registered outside Delhi and classified below BS-VI standards will also be barred from entering the capital. Compressed natural gas, electric and emergency vehicles will be exempted from this restriction.
The construction restrictions are likely to affect private building work, civil projects, demolition activity and the movement of construction materials during the winter period. The reported plan does not specify in the supplied material how exemptions will be administered, how ongoing projects will be monitored or whether penalties will vary by type of violation. The measures are scheduled to begin on 1 November and continue through 28 February, with the tighter vehicle and material-entry restrictions applying during the four-month period.
