Delhi CM Rekha Gupta on Saturday, 4 July, withdrew work from home measure and staggered office timings order as ‘geopolitical’ tensions in West Asia eased.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday, 4 July, ordered withdrawal of a work from home (WFH) measure and staggered timings for government offices. In view of normalising geopolitical situation and resumption of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, the state government decided to roll back the austerity measures that were introduced in May to reduce fuel consumption.
Delhi Chief Minister Office stated, “Now that the geopolitical situation has practically normalised, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has approved withdrawal of Work from Home on Wednesdays & Saturdays.”
It added, “The order will be issued today. And staggered timings for GNCTD have been revised to 10 am to 6:30 am and for MCD it will remain the same, from 8:30 am to 5 pm.”
Since the onset of US-Iran war on 28 February, global energy shortages were rampant. To tackle the situation of energy crisis Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the citizens of the country to support economic resilience amid global uncertainties linked to the West Asia conflict.
What changes and what stays the same
Previously, government employees were required to work two days from home each week. The latest directive implies resumption of offline mode for government employees and withdrawal of the work from home arrangement on Wednesdays and Saturdays. A formal order regarding the change in the WFH policy is expected to be issued today, ANI reported. The Delhi government also revised the office timings for the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD), according to which office timings will now be from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) offices will follow the same timings and commence operations at 8:30 AM and wrap up by 5:00 PM.
Under the previous regulations ministers and senior officials were encouraged to use public transport on Monday. The “Metro Monday” initiative a part of administrative measures aimed at reducing pollution, easing traffic congestion, and cutting fuel consumption.
Besides this, the government had announced a one-year freeze on all official foreign visits for ministers and officers. From urging citizens to observe a weekly “No Vehicle Day” to imposing a six-month ban on the purchase of new petrol, diesel, CNG, or hybrid vehicles for the Delhi government, these sweeping austerity and fuel-saving measures were earlier implemented by the state government.
To reduce transport needs, it also encouraged educational institutions to maximise online hearings and lectures. With the situation now deemed stable, the government has Although the move to restore regular office operations will bring back employees to office, but the continuity of staggered timing format will help in managing city traffic.
