Delhi has unveiled its winter action plan to curb air pollution, as the city braces for another season of hazardous smog. The plan sits alongside the revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), enforced by the Commission for Air Quality Management.

The two are different tools. GRAP is an emergency system that kicks in automatically when pollution levels cross set limits, triggering measures like construction bans and vehicle restrictions. The winter action plan is the city government's own preventive programme.

Reported measures under discussion include staggered office timings, wider work-from-home options, curbs on polluting vehicles entering the city, and a push for last-mile connectivity to reduce private car use.

Delhi's air quality typically turns severe from November. Health experts advise residents to follow official advisories, limit outdoor activity on bad-air days, and report violations like open burning.

Schools may shift to hybrid classes on very poor air days, as in past years. Doctors advise children, the elderly and asthma patients to wear masks outdoors when the air quality index crosses into the severe zone.