Delhi to halt construction work from December 10 to January 20

Construction work in Delhi will be completely banned from December 10 to January 20, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has said, setting out a winter measure aimed at curbing dust and air pollution.

Gupta asked residents to report violations to the MCD, their MLA or her directly. She said some sites had continued work behind covers during the previous winter despite restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan.

This season, the government plans to watch larger construction sites in real time through its Dust Portal and AI-enabled cameras. Alerts from the system will go to the government’s Control and Command Centre, Gupta said; notices, warnings and fines may follow.

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee launched Dust Portal 2.0 in July. The platform combines GIS mapping, live 360-degree cameras, PM10 and PM2.5 sensors, and AI-based analysis to track dust-control compliance. It can issue colour-coded alerts and support enforcement notices.

For residents living near building or demolition work, the stated ban means construction activity should stop for the six-week period. The government has asked people to flag sites where it does not.