Delhi has announced a preventive Winter Action Plan for 2026-27 that combines construction bans, staggered office hours, 50% work from home, tighter vehicle checks and expanded pollution monitoring ahead of the winter season.
Environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the government would move from a reactive response to preventive action, with departments assigned targets and timelines. The plan covers vehicular emissions, road dust, construction activity, industrial emissions, open burning and traffic hotspots across the capital.
Under the vehicle pollution measures, Delhi will strengthen the “No PUCC-No Fuel” campaign across 500 fuel stations. Vehicles without valid Pollution Under Control certificates will be denied fuel under the enforcement programme. The government also plans to intensify action against End-of-Life vehicles, although the announcement did not specify the number of vehicles targeted or the penalties that will apply.
The plan also seeks to reduce peak-hour traffic by changing office schedules and promoting remote work during the winter pollution period. Municipal Corporation of Delhi offices will operate from 8:30 am to 5 pm, while Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi offices will function from 10 am to 6:30 pm. The government has additionally proposed a 50% work-from-home arrangement during the pollution period.
Delhi plans to increase use of public transport as part of the response. The government is targeting a rise in average daily Metro ridership from 65 lakh to 72 lakh and an increase in daily Delhi Transport Corporation ridership from 37 lakh to 42 lakh. The announcement did not set out additional services, fleet additions or operational changes that would support these ridership targets.
Construction-related restrictions will become stricter during the winter months. Dust-generating demolition and outdoor civil construction will be prohibited from November 1 to January 31. A complete ban on construction and demolition activities will then be enforced from December 10 to January 20, according to agency reports. The restrictions are expected to affect construction schedules, demolition work and outdoor civil activity during the specified periods.
Monitoring capacity will also be expanded. Delhi plans to increase the number of Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations from 47 to 60 and deploy 334 enforcement teams. An artificial intelligence-enabled Command and Control Centre, supported by cameras and geo-tagged monitoring, will be used to track pollution sources and violations more closely.
Sirsa said coordinated action across the National Capital Region would be necessary because pollution does not remain confined to administrative boundaries. The government has urged residents to use public transport, keep their PUCC certificates valid, avoid open burning and report pollution-related violations through the 311 helpline or the Green Delhi App. The plan’s implementation will now depend on departments meeting the announced timelines and on coordination across the NCR.
