CAQM caps NCR office attendance at 50% and halts dusty construction for two weeks

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) issued directions on 30 October 2026 under Section 12 of the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021. The directions cap physical office attendance and pause dust-generating construction across the National Capital Region (NCR) from 5 November to 20 November 2026, both dates included. The order was addressed to the chief secretaries of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.

What applies to offices

Government and private offices in six areas may operate with a maximum of 50% of their staff attending in person. The six areas are the National Capital Territory of Delhi, the Haryana districts of Gurugram, Faridabad and Sonipat, and the Uttar Pradesh districts of Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar. The order's wording is that the remaining staff are to work from home.

The office limit has an exemption. Industrial establishments and essential services are excused where such arrangements are not feasible. Offices in the six areas will need to plan rosters within the 50% limit for the full 16-day period.

What applies to construction

The construction restriction is wider than the office rule. It covers dust-generating demolition and outdoor civil construction throughout the NCR, not only the six areas named for offices. The order says the curbs include linear public works such as highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges and power lines.

Several categories are exempt from the construction curbs. These are projects related to railways, metro services, airports, inter-state bus terminals, hospitals, water supply and sanitation, and national security and defence. Projects of national importance are also not covered. The CAQM has said the exemptions are meant to ensure that essential and unavoidable activities are not disrupted. In its words, the exemptions for essential public infrastructure, national security and other critical services are intended to ensure that such work is not disrupted.

The restrictions do not amount to a blanket shutdown of all building work in the region. Work that falls outside the exempt categories and involves dust-generating activity is the part that will pause.

Why the dates were set this way

The CAQM said the order is anticipatory. It cites the recurring seasonal fall in Delhi-NCR's air quality and the need to put pollution-control measures in place on time, before levels usually peak in November. The commission had already invoked Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR on 21 October, after air quality fell into the 'Poor' category.

Air quality had improved by the day of the order. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded an air quality index of 60 on Friday, 30 October, the cleanest October day since 10 October 2022. The measures are scheduled to apply on the fixed dates regardless of the reading on any individual day.

The commission has also directed the Delhi government and the other NCR state governments to ensure that the restrictions are followed.

What buyers and developers need to do

• Developers and contractors in the NCR should check whether any outdoor work planned for 5 to 20 November is dust-generating and outside the exempt categories.
• Developers working on highways, roads, flyovers or power lines should confirm with the relevant authority how the linear-works clause applies to their sites.
• Offices in the six named areas should set staff rosters for the 50% limit, and industrial units should check whether the essential-services exemption applies to them.
• Buyers with possession or site-visit dates in the window should ask their developer whether work schedules have changed.

The order sets 20 November 2026 as the end of the period. Any extension or later order would have to be issued separately, and buyers and developers should watch for that announcement as the window closes.