Citizens have been urged to stay indoors, keep doors and windows closed and avoid unnecessary travel, she said, adding that hospitals have been provided with smog meters.

To reduce vehicular pollution, 50% of office workers would work from home, Aurangzeb said.

The government also imposed a ban on three-wheelers known as rickshaws and halted construction in certain areas to reduce pollution levels. Factories and construction sites that do not comply with these regulations could be shut down, she said.