Professionals are spending thousands of rupees to set up makeshift establishments in places like Himachal Pradesh – where the air quality index (AQI) hovers between 90 and 150 – even as employers have given the green light to these unusual remote measures.
Those staying in the capital are splurging on air purifiers and masks as Delhi’s AQI crossed a “breathtaking” 390 plus on Monday morning. Employers are also relaxing back-to-the-office rules to protect health. Even the Delhi government has adjusted working hours for its employees.
The trend gained momentum immediately after October 20, when the country celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights – and inevitably, smoke.
“Since Diwali, our circuit coverage packages – especially long stays in the mountains – have grown by 28% year-on-year,” Aviral Gupta, CEO of budget backpacker hostel chain Zostel & Zo World. “Guests now travel the ladder over the course of 6-7 weeks, spending 10-12 days in each destination before jumping to the next.”
Ladder trips are multi-destination stays where travelers hop from one place to another during a longer trip. Circuit coverage refers to curated long-term travel packages covering multiple destinations within a specific route or region.
According to Gupta, Zostels have seen high demand in places like Dobhi, Shangarh, Manali, Spiti, Kalpa in Himachal Pradesh where the AQI ranges between 94 and 155.
For India Inc, employee health is a key metric to judge the company as an employer of choice, allowing employees to make a call for the most suitable work arrangement during October-December.
“Many organizations have gone back to office-only setups, but as AQI has grown, we’ve led staff to meet only once or twice a week to keep pace,” said Swati Jain, founder of Katha Studio, a Delhi-based digital marketing agency with about 20 employees.
Larger companies with thousands of employees were just as fast. Employees of the diversified department store RPG Group can use the option of working from home these days.
“We continue to follow a 50% work-from-home policy within our hybrid working model. This gives our people the flexibility to work from home or from any location of their choice, which is coordinated and approved by their respective managers,” an RPG spokesperson said.
However, industries such as manufacturing find it more difficult. A senior manager of a Mumbai-based manufacturing firm with offices in the northern belt said that when they installed air purifiers in offices three years ago, asking everyone to work from home was not an option.
Sales increase
Meanwhile, leading e-commerce players confirm a surge in sales of air purifiers and masks in the Delhi region.
“We have seen a strong 5x increase in air purifiers (in other regions) compared to typical days and Delhi-NCR has seen a sharp 20x increase,” said KN Srikanth, head of home, kitchen and outdoor, Amazon India.
The company saw a 150% increase in premium line air purifiers (above ₹20,000) on a year-on-year basis, according to Srikanth. The lower priced categories saw a 70-75% increase over the same period.
A spokesperson for another e-commerce major, Flipkart, said demand for air purifiers in Delhi-NCR in the first two days of November on its platform grew by around 8x compared to the first week of October, while orders through Flipkart Minutes – its flash business arm – grew by almost 12x.
Quick trade players echo this demand. “In the last few weeks, we have seen almost a tenfold increase in demand for air purifiers and N95 masks,” said a spokesperson for Swiggy’s fast-paced business arm Instamart, adding that north India, particularly Delhi, was leading the increase, followed by Bengaluru.
Moreover, according to Nilesh Gupta, managing director of Vijay Sales, an electronics retail chain, there is no supply problem.
“Right now there is no stock-out because companies are better prepared with inventory etc.,” he said, noting that sales are largely concentrated in the northern part of the country.
“We see that manufacturers are better prepared as air purifiers have evolved into a small category of their own. While it is too early to comment on demand, we will see sales up 10-15% this year over the same period last year,” Gupta said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi administration is also scrambling to respond. Amid growing concerns over air pollution, the Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation have adjusted timings to reduce traffic congestion and emissions.
The current timings are 9:30 am to 6:00 pm for Delhi Government employees and 9:00 am to 5:30 pm for Delhi Municipal Corporation employees. The new timings proposed for Delhi government offices are from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM and for Municipal Corporation of Delhi offices it will be from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
Abhishek Law contributed to this story.
