UPDATED: Oct 22, 2026 11:34 IST
Air quality across Delhi NCR has deteriorated into the poor category, recording an Air Quality Index of 244 and prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management to enforce stage one of the Graded Response Action Plan. The winter anti-pollution measures include intensified road sweeping, water sprinkling, dust control at construction sites, and curbs on open waste burning. The Delhi government has also outlined plans including staggered office timings, fifty per cent work from home guidelines, and additional Delhi Metro train trips to encourage public transport. Meanwhile, a political confrontation has broken out between Delhi and Punjab over farm fires. Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa alleged that stubble burning in Punjab is sabotaging the capital's anti-pollution efforts, asserting that Delhi recorded 214 days of good or moderate air quality this year. In contrast, political voices in Punjab argue that stubble is not the primary cause of Delhi's pollution and demand adequate financial compensation for farmers to facilitate alternative crop residue management solutions.
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