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The Delhi government will construct a new Flood Control Monitoring Centre for better emergency response during the monsoon season, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said on Monday. He laid the foundation stone of the centre at the LM Bund Office Complex in Shastri Nagar and said that the work would be completed before this year's monsoon. "Every monsoon, our engineers and field teams work day and night to monitor river levels, drainage systems, and vulnerable locations across Delhi. Facilities like this monitoring centre will ensure that coordination becomes smoother, and decisions can be taken quickly when the situation demands," he said. The minister added that preparedness and timely coordination are the most important aspects of flood management. "Our aim is simple: better monitoring, better coordination and faster response. This centre will act as a nerve centre during the monsoon season where officers and engineers can review the situation in real time
There is a need to get out of the mindset that only the national capital needs to have greenery and other states are lesser mortals, the Supreme Court said on Monday while hearing a matter related to the Delhi Ridge. The Ridge is an extension of the Aravalli Hill range in Delhi and is a rocky, hilly and forested area. For administrative reasons, it has been divided into four zones -- south, south-central, central and north -- which make up an area of around 7,784 hectares. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi observed there was a need to have a holistic approach on the issue of green cover. "We need to get out of this mindset that only Delhi, being the national capital, needs to have greenery and the others are lesser mortals," the bench observed. Senior advocate K Parameshwar, assisting the top court as an amicus curiae in the matter, pointed to the November 11 verdict of the apex court which directed the Centre to give ...
Aiming to increase water supply to the capital, the Delhi government is in talks with its Haryana counterpart for a water exchange project, Delhi minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said on Monday. Currently, the city's average water production ranges between 900-1,000 million gallons per day (MGD), while the average requirement is around 1,260 MGD, with demand peaking during the summer season. "While we fix the gaps in our supply lines and reduce water losses, the Delhi government is working on a project for exchange of 30 cusecs of raw water from Haryana in exchange of treated water, which can be used for irrigation purposes in their state," Water Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said. According to the minister, there is a major factor of 20 per cent water loss in transmission from Haryana, which is increasing the gap in demand and production. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) currently operates nine water treatment plants (WTP) supplying around 864 MGD water and the remaining 126 MGD is extracted
A major fire broke out at Nature Bazaar in south Delhi's Andheria Mor area on Sunday morning, gutting around 50 shops and triggering a massive firefighting operation, an official of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said. According to the DFS, a call regarding the blaze was received at 7.37 am, following which 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to control the flames. No injury to anyone has been reported so far. The fire erupted at the Nature Bazaar market located near Andheria Mor in the Lado Sarai area, where several temporary and semi-permanent shops selling handicrafts and other items are set up, he said. Thick plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the market complex as the fire rapidly spread through multiple shops in the crowded marketplace. Firefighters launched an extensive operation to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading further. Around 50 shops were gutted in the incident, causing heavy damage to goods and structures, the officer said. Fire personnel wer
Delhi is expected to witness a significant rise in electricity demand this summer, with peak levels likely to cross 9,000 MW, officials said on Thursday. According to the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) figures, last year, Delhi's peak power demand was 8,442 MW. A BSES spokesperson said that peak power demand in BRPL discom areas of South and West Delhi, which clocked 3,798 MW demand last summer, is expected to reach around 3,997 MW this summer. On the other hand, in the BYPL discom area of East and Central Delhi, the peak power demand, which peaked at 1,824 MW last summer, is expected to touch around 1,991 MW this year. Delhi's peak power demand breached the 7,000 MW mark for the first time peaking at 7,016 MW - in 2018. The expected demand of over 9,000 MW represents an increase of over 300 per cent over the peak power demand of 2,879 MW in 2002. Based on current demand growth trends, Delhi's peak power demand is likely to cross the 10,000 MW mark by around 2028-2029, depend
Traffic movement in parts of north Delhi is likely to remain affected on Wednesday in view of an official function at Lok Niwas, police said. The function will be held from 11 am to 4 pm due to which traffic may be affected on several key stretches including ITO Chowk, Ring Road, Mall Road, Rajpur Road, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Chauburja Marg, Bhiku Ram Jain Marg, Shamnath Marg, Boulevard Road and Lok Niwas Marg, according to an advisory issued by the Delhi Traffic Police. The police said diversions may be implemented as per need at several points including PS Civil Lines red light, Shamnath Marg red light, Tis Hazari Court red light, Khoya Mandi U-turn, Khyber Pass red light, St Stephen's red light, Rajpur Authority Cut and MCD Chowk. "All vehicles will be diverted from these points as and when required, except emergency vehicles," the advisory said. No commercial vehicles will be allowed on the Raj Niwas Marg from 10 am to 4 pm, it added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 15,200 crore under the the General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) redevelopment plan. The prime minister, accompanied by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, visited GPRA Type-5 quarters in Sarojini Nagar and handed over the keys to female allottees. He also interacted with some women labourers. Spread across key locations such as Sarojini Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Kasturba Nagar and Sriniwaspuri, these projects are part of the government's ambitious programme to modernise GPRA colonies and create world-class infrastructure for government employees and administrative offices, according to a statement issued on Friday. The projects have been redeveloped through an innovative self-sustainable financial model that ensures that redevelopment is carried out without burdening the public exchequer. Under this model, the government is developing and monetising a
Former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu will likely take charge as the lieutenant governor of Delhi on March 11, an official said on Saturday. Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu appointed the former diplomat as the Delhi LG, replacing VK Saxena, who has been in office for nearly four years. "LG VK Saxena will hand over the charge next week. Sandhu is likely to take charge on Wednesday," an official said. Sandhu's appointment was part of a major reshuffle of gubernatorial posts effected in several states and Union territories by the president late Thursday night. Sandhu, a 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, was one of the most experienced Indian diplomats on United States affairs. He served in the Indian Mission in Washington DC multiple times. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to be attended by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and other Delhi ministers.
The Delhi Assembly has written to former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal declining his request for live streaming of the proceedings of the Privileges Committee which has summoned the AAP chief on Friday in a matter related to the 'Phaansi Ghar'. The letter noted the Privileges Committee chairperson's surprise over Kejriwal's "ignorance in this matter" even though he has been a member of the assembly for over 10 years and has attended several sittings of the Privilege Committee. "I am directed by the Chairperson to inform that the proceedings of the Committee of Privileges are confidential and the Rules of Procedure do not permit for their live streaming," the Delhi Assembly Secretariat's letter read. Further, there is no precedence of the sitting of the Committee of Privileges being telecast in the Parliament or other states, added the letter, which was made public on Friday. "The Chairperson has also expressed his surprise over your ignorance in this matter in spite of being a for
Former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu was appointed the lieutenant governor of Delhi on Thursday, replacing V K Saxena, who has been made the Ladakh L-G. He had unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar in 2024 on a BJP ticket. Sandhu, a 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, was one of the most experienced Indian diplomats on United States affairs. He served in the Indian Mission in Washington DC multiple times. He was India's ambassador to the United States from February 2020 to January 2024. Previously, he served as the deputy chief of mission at the embassy in Washington from July 2013 to January 2017 and as the first secretary (political) from 1997 to 2000, with the responsibility to liaise with the US Congress. The 63-year-old career diplomat had also been at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations from July 2005 to February 2009. Sandhu's predecessor V K Saxena has been Delhi's lieutenant governor for around four years. During the perio
Delhi recorded a warm day on Tuesday with a maximum temperature of 31.5 degrees Celsius, 4.1 degrees Celsius above normal. The minimum temperature was recorded at 15.6 degrees Celsius, 2.2 degrees Celsius above normal. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), on Holi (Wednesday), the maximum temperature is expected to settle at 33 degrees Celsius, while the minimum is likely to be around 16.0 degrees Celsius. If the mercury reaches 33 degrees Celsius, it could make Holi the hottest day of the year. The IMD has forecast a mainly clear sky for tomorrow, with sustained surface winds of 15-25 kmph, occasionally gusting to 35 kmph during the day. Station-wise, Safdarjung recorded a maximum of 31.5 degrees Celsius (4.1 degrees Celsius above normal), Palam 29.4 degrees Celsius (2.4 degrees Celsius above normal), Lodi Road 31.4 degrees Celsius (4.4 degrees Celsius above normal), Ridge 31.5 degrees Celsius (3.5 degrees Celsius above normal), and Ayanagar 31.6 degrees Celsius
The Delhi government has set up around 50 centres across the city to facilitate the issuance of the "Pink Saheli" cards and the distribution process will commence from Tuesday. The Pink National Common Mobility card, launched by President Droupadi Murmu on Monday, will provide women and transgender individuals free bus travel and seamless access to multiple public transport systems through a single smart card, in line with the "one nation, one card" initiative. Around 50 centres, including offices of district magistrates and sub-divisional magistrates, along with select Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) locations, have been established for card issuance, according to a statement. "The distribution at the 50 centres will take place from March 3 between 9 am and 5 pm on all days," the DTC said in the statement. Each pink card will be linked to the beneficiary's mobile number and Aadhaar to verify age, gender and Delhi residency, the statement said. The pink card will allow eligible
Security was heightened across several parts of the national capital following protests and gatherings held to mourn the death of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, police said on Sunday. Additional police personnel were deployed in sensitive areas, particularly around diplomatic missions and localities with significant Shia populations as a precautionary measure. Khamenei was killed in a major attack by Israel and the US. State media reported that the 86-year-old was killed in an air strike targeting his compound in downtown Tehran. Visuals showed groups of people outside the Iran Cultural House in Delhi, where a meeting was scheduled to mark Khamenei's death. Some protesters were also seen raising slogans in parts of Jor Bagh, expressing grief over the Iranian leader's death. A senior police officer said adequate security arrangements had been put in place to ensure law and order. "We have deployed additional forces as a precautionary step. The situation is peaceful
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal will hold a public meeting at Jantar Mantar on Sunday, his first since he was discharged from the liquor policy case by a court. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had earlier on Saturday claimed that police was refusing permission for the rally. Later, in a late-night press conference, AAP's Delhi state president Saurabh Bharadwaj, however, said police have granted permission and the rally will proceed as scheduled. "Arvind Kejriwal, along with the entire leadership, will address a public meeting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Today, the Delhi Police had said once that this meeting could not take place. After this, AAP leaders held discussions with senior officials of the Delhi Police," Bhardwaj said. Now, as per the scheduled programme, the party's national convenor Kejriwal will address the gathering at Jantar Mantar, he added. Responding to AAP leaders' claim that permission was initially being denied, Delhi Police officials said earlier that a decisio