Two corporate offices in Gurugram’s Sector 42 have been issued show-cause notices after an inspection found that more than half of their employees were working from office despite a mandated 50% work-from-home order issued to control pollution in Delhi-NCR.
The inspection found that around 87 of 117 employees were present at one office, while approximately 160 of 262 employees were working from the second office. This meant that about 74% and 61% of the respective workforces were present on the premises, exceeding the permitted limit.
The notices were issued after the offices were inspected by the Gurugram administration. Their managements have been given 24 hours to submit explanations and supporting documents, including the total number of employees, biometric and attendance records for the inspection date, duty rosters and details of employees authorised to work remotely.
The 50% work-from-home direction was issued by the Deputy Commissioner on November 3 following instructions from the Commission for Air Quality Management, or CAQM. The order applied to government and private offices and permitted only half of the employees to work from office at any one time between November 5 and November 20.
The measure is part of the wider Delhi-NCR response to deteriorating air quality. Its implementation requires offices to maintain accurate attendance records and organise staffing through rosters, making workplace administration part of the region’s pollution-control enforcement framework.
The notices warn that legal action may follow if the explanations submitted by the two office managements are not found satisfactory. Such action could be taken under Section 14 of the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021.
The enforcement action comes as CAQM has also imposed restrictions under Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan in Delhi-NCR. Under the latest restrictions, dust-generating and air-polluting construction and demolition activities face tighter controls across the region.
The two offices must now submit their explanations and the requested attendance and staffing documents within 24 hours. The administration’s decision on whether further action is warranted will depend on the records and explanations provided by the managements.
