Gurugram WFH Rule: Trilegal, JSA Get Notices for Over 50% Office Staff
Offices in Gurugram must keep half their staff at home until 20 November, and inspectors have begun checking attendance.
Image: Gurgaon skyline / Wikimedia Commons
The Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Badshahpur, issued show-cause notices on 5 November to the law firms Trilegal and JSA Advocates & Solicitors after inspectors found more than half their staff at their Godrej GCR offices in Sector 42, Gurugram, Bar & Bench reported on 7 November. The firms have 24 hours from receiving the notices to explain why they exceeded the 50 per cent attendance cap that applies to offices during the pollution curbs.
What the Inspection Found
According to Bar & Bench, about 87 of JSA’s roughly 117 employees (around 74 per cent) were present at its ninth-floor office. Trilegal had about 160 of 262 employees (around 61 per cent) at its 18th and 19th-floor offices. The notices ask for actual staff strength, attendance registers or biometric records for the inspection day, the 50 per cent rosters and details of staff allowed to work from home. Neither firm had responded when the report was published, and the notices are preliminary; no finding of liability has been recorded.
Half the Staff at Home Until 20 November
Gurugram’s Deputy Commissioner ordered on 3 November that government and private offices keep no more than 50 per cent of employees on site from 5 to 20 November, implementing directions of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) under the CAQM Act, 2021. Industrial units and essential services where remote work is not possible are exempt. Offices must keep roster-wise attendance records, and departments are to inspect daily, Business Today reported. Any employer in Gurugram can expect the same check during the period, and the notices cite Section 14 of the Act, which allows action against violations.
Also read Delhi Pollution Curbs From 1 November: No PUC No Fuel, Construction Ban
Smog Before Diwali
The curbs came as air quality across the National Capital Region worsened ahead of Diwali. IPB News reported that Delhi’s AQI stood at 364 with GRAP-III restrictions in place. More reports are collected under Delhi air pollution.
Replies Due, Curbs Run On
The administration will examine the firms’ replies and attendance records before deciding on action. The attendance cap stays in force until 20 November unless CAQM changes the order earlier.
Source: Based on reporting by Bar & Bench, Free Press Journal and Business Today.
Image: Gurgaon skyline / Wikimedia Commons.
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