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Within a fortnight of its defeat in the Delhi assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday announced a restructuring of its frontal organisations to strengthen its presence across the national capital. AAP's Delhi state convener and former minister Gopal Rai, after a crucial meeting with office-bearers on Saturday, said an audit of all functionaries at the Lok Sabha, district, assembly and ward levels will be conducted within a week to assess their roles during the elections, an official statement of AAP said. The meeting, held at the party headquarters, was attended by key leaders, including Purvanchal Wing president Akhilesh Pati Tripathi, Youth Wing president Pankaj Gupta, Legal Cell president Sanjeev Nasiar and other office-bearers from various wings, the statement said. Discussions focused on AAP's electoral performance, identifying strengths and gaps in the party's campaign, it added. Rai emphasised that all state-level office-bearers have been directed to evalua
The Congress will not be able to eat into AAP's vote share because the people want to keep the BJP out of power at any cost, said Gopal Rai, a senior leader of the ruling party in Delhi. Rai, who is the Delhi unit convener of AAP and a minister in the outgoing government, took a dig at the Congress, wondering how will it make a turnaround from drawing a blank in the 2015 and 2020 Delhi assembly polls to forming a government this time. The people of Delhi do not want to give the BJP a chance to form government here, he said in an interview with PTI. "As for the Congress, it is not in a position to form a government in Delhi. They currently have no MLAs in Delhi. How can they form a government in just 15 days? "It is being said that the Congress will cut into AAP votes, potentially helping the BJP win. However, people know that voting for the Congress will only lead to division of votes and since Delhiites do not want the BJP, they won't vote for the Congress either," said the AAP .
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai conducted a late-night inspection in Delhi's border areas to review the enforcement of GRAP-4 anti-pollution measures and said 135 to 165 trucks violating the restrictions are being turned away daily. "Late tonight, visited the Narela/Singhu border and inspected the implementation of GRAP-4," Rai posted on X. Speaking at site, Rai said that complaints have been received about unauthorised vehicles being allowed entry at Delhi's borders. "Today, we received multiple complaints about unauthorised vehicles entering Delhi through various borders without being checked. That's why we came here to inspect the situation," Rai said. During the inspection late Friday night, Rai said that between 135 to 165 trucks are being turned away daily from November 18 at Delhi's borders for violating the restrictions imposed under Graded Response Action Plan-4. Only CNG, electric, and BS-VI compliant vehicles are allowed entry into the city, while all other trucks
A decision on implementing work-from-home measures and the odd-even scheme will be taken soon to tackle the city's worsening air quality, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Tuesday. Speaking to PTI, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said, People, including children and senior citizens, are struggling to breathe and we deeply regret this situation. The air quality in the national capital has remained in the severe plus category since Sunday, with AQI readings consistently above 450. On the possibility of implementing work-from-home measures, Rai stated, We will take a decision on this soon." The minister added that the government has already imposed significant restrictions on vehicles under GRAP-IV. We are analyzing the impact of these measures. If the analysis shows a positive outcome, we will take further decisions accordingly, he said. Calling the current situation a medical emergency, Rai emphasised the need for collective action. This is a time of medical emergen
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said the government is taking all necessary measures to tackle air pollution and will implement additional steps, including the odd-even vehicle rationing scheme, based on expert advice and requirements. Addressing a press conference here as the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital breached the "severe-plus" category with a reading of 494, Rai said the Delhi government is taking all necessary steps to address the situation. In response to a question about the odd-even scheme, he said, "From our side, the Delhi government is taking all the necessary steps at our level. We are monitoring everything closely and making decisions on a daily basis. We will consult experts and take all required measures." Delhi recorded its second-worst air quality in six years on Monday. Fifteen monitoring stations saw AQI levels reaching the maximum limit of 500. The city's 24-hour AQI, recorded at 4 pm, was the highest in the country, up from 441 the ...
Delhi's air quality has deteriorated to the 'poor' category due to changing weather conditions and the pollution level is expected to worsen after Diwali, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Saturday. Rai told PTI Videos that the Delhi government is doing everything it can to control dust pollution and needs the cooperation of residents. Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded in the 'poor' category with a reading of 273 at 9 am on Saturday, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. In some areas, the air quality was worse. The AQI in Mundka and Bawana stood at 366, Wazirpur 355, Jahangirpuri 347 and Anand Vihar 333, all in the 'very poor' category, the data showed. Rai said Delhi's air quality has dropped to the 'poor' category due to changing weather conditions and with temperatures dropping, the situation could deteriorate further. It is likely to worsen after Diwali, he said. "For such emergencies, we have written to the central government," the minis
Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday said the government has formed a coordination committee each to identify and mitigate local sources of pollution at 13 locations in the city stifled with "very poor" air. Rai at a press conference said that while whole of Delhi is breathing 'poor' air, it is particularly 'very poor' at 13 hotspots, where the Air Quality Index has crossed 300. Narela, Bawana, Mundka, Wazirpur, Rohini, R K Puram, Okhla, Jahangirpuri, Anand Vihar, Punjabi Bagh, Mayapuri, and Dwarka Sector-8 have been identified as these 13 places. Rai said the committees will be headed by the deputy commissioners of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. He added that DPCC engineers are also designated at all hotspots and they will submit daily reports to a 'Pollution War Room'. Dust has been identified as one of the major factors at 13 hotspots for 300-plus AQI, he said, adding, 80 mobile anti-smog guns have been deployed to bring the air dust down in these areas.
Delhi Minister Gopal Rai on Friday approved 100 new schemes, including for roads, drains and playgrounds, worth Rs 93 crores to boost development of villages, a statement said. A meeting of the Gram Vikas Board was held at the Delhi Secretariat here on Friday which was chaired by Rai. It approved 100 schemes to ensure development in the capital's villages, it said. During the meeting, the officials were instructed to complete the development projects within the stipulated time frame. The Gram Vikas Board has approved installation of 100 benches in bigger villages, the statement said. These include development works related to roads, drains, water bodies, community centers, parks, crematoriums and playgrounds. The projects will be carried out in Delhi's rural areas at a cost of Rs 93 crore, it said, adding the projects aim to improve amenities across all villages in Delhi. Rai emphasised the government's commitment to providing basic amenities not only to the urban residents but al
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has urged the centre to convene an urgent meeting with key stakeholders to expedite approvals for cloud seeding, an emergency measure aimed at reducing the anticipated winter pollution spike in the capital. In a letter sent to the Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav on Thursday, Rai highlighted the critical need for timely action before air pollution levels, particularly after Diwali, escalate to 'hazardous'. He stressed on the importance of coordinating with various agencies to secure the necessary clearances for effective deployment of cloud seeding technology. "We have already experienced a delay of approximately one month in the efforts for cloud seeding in Delhi, and with air quality likely to deteriorate to 'hazardous' levels by early November, I once again request you to immediately convene meetings with all relevant stakeholders, he wrote. The Delhi Government had explored cloud seeding as a pollution mitigation strategy last year
The Delhi government has set up a 24x7 'Green War Room' to enhance the execution of its 21-point winter action plan aimed at curbing pollution in the national capital, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Monday. Addressing a press conference, Rai said that a team of eight environmental experts will manage the war room, which has been assigned seven key responsibilities. A new task assigned to the war room this year includes analysing drone mapping and conducting real-time source apportionment studies, Rai said. "The war room will also analyse satellite data of stubble burning, along with information from 13 pollution hotspots," said the minister. Additionally, it will monitor AQI (Air Quality Index) data and assess information from 24 pollution monitoring stations managed by the Delhi government, he said. Regarding the use of artificial rain to reduce pollution, Rai said that he would again seek approval from the central government, as his previous request had not received a ..
In a bid to curb rising dust pollution during the winter months, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Saturday unveiled a comprehensive 14-point construction guideline as part of the city's 'Winter Action Plan'. The rules aim to tackle dust pollution from the construction sites, which is a major contributor to the city's declining air quality, Rai said. He stated that these guidelines will be strictly enforced starting October 7 adding any violations after this date will lead to penalties with the repeat offenders facing a halt in the construction activities. The rules mandate that all construction sites must be covered with tin sheets to prevent dust from spreading into the surroundings. "People involved in any kind of construction work whether private, government or company-driven must ensure compliance with these rules," Rai emphasised during his press conference. Rai stated that all construction areas must be enclosed with tin sheets, vehicles transporting construction ...
Development Minister Gopal Rai has announced the Delhi government's initiative to provide free bio-decomposer spray across over 5,000 acres of farmland to reduce pollution and promote sustainable agricultural practices. Following a high-level meeting with the Agriculture Department and experts from the Pusa Agricultural Research Institute, Rai said the government is making every effort to ensure the timely and effective spraying of bio-decomposer. "So far, 841 farmers have signed up for the programme, and the numbers are expected to rise as awareness campaigns are carried out across farming communities," Rai said. "In our efforts to curb the seasonal rise in pollution due to stubble burning, the Kejriwal government is committed to providing free bio-decomposer spray as we did last year. This year, we will cover over 5,000 acres of farmland," the minister said. He added, "Stubble burning has been included as a key focus area in this year's Winter Action Plan. By spraying ...
The Delhi government on Monday banned the production, sale and use of firecrackers in the national capital to control air pollution in the coming winter season. Environment Minister Gopal Rai said in a statement that the ban also covers online sale and delivery of firecrackers. An action plan will be prepared in collaboration with Delhi Police, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the Revenue Department to strictly implement the ban, he added. "The ban on the production, storage, sale and use of firecrackers will remain in force till January 1, 2025 ," Rai said in the statement. This is a part of the Delhi government's winter action plan based on 21 focus points to control pollution, he said.
Policies for work from home and awareness campaigns are likely to be part of the Delhi government's Winter Action Plan to combat air pollution in the national capital, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Thursday. Rai said during a press conference that the Delhi government held a meeting with environment experts and officials from various government departments to seek their opinions. "These inputs will play a crucial role in crafting an effective Winter Action Plan," Rai said. The minister also emphasised the need for a shift in human behaviour and said one could contribute to reducing air pollution by taking small measures such as turning off engines at traffic lights. "We are the ones using private vehicles, engaging in construction work and failing to turn off our vehicles at red lights. A change in our behaviour is essential to reduce pollution," Rai said. "Self awareness is important. Small steps by everyone will bring a big change," the minister said. Previously, ...