Page 47 - Delhi Government

Arvind Kejriwal issued fresh summons by ED in Delhi excise policy case

The Enforcement Directorate has issued a fresh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning on December 21 in the excise policy-linked money laundering case, officials said Monday. He was first called by the federal agency to appear on November 2, but he did not depose alleging that the notice was "vague, motivated and unsustainable in law". The summons to Kejriwal, the national convenor of AAP, pertain to questioning in the alleged Delhi excise policy case and for recording his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the officials said. It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The policy was subsequently scrapped and the Delhi lieutenant governor recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the PMLA. Delhi

Delhi retailer gets Rs 3,000 penalty for charging Rs 7 for paper carry bag

A consumer commission here has directed a fashion apparel retailer to pay a fine of Rs 3,000 for charging Rs 7 to a customer for a paper carry bag without prior intimation. The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (East Delhi) was hearing a complaint claiming deficiency in services by Lifestyle International Pvt Ltd for charging Rs 7 for a paper carry bag. The commission's President, S S Malhotra, and members Rashmi Bansal and Ravi Kumar noted that the retailer was charging for paper carry bags after the ban on plastic bags on the grounds that paper bags were costlier than plastic bags. "The question to consider before this commission is not the use of plastic bags or paper bags, but whether or not, any additional cost can be imposed upon customers to provide carry bags at the time of making payment for the goods selected for purchase, without prior notice/information being given to them," the commission said in a recent order. It said the complainant established his cas

Delhi govt working on cabinet note for MoU with NCRTC for 2 RRTS corridors

The Arvind Kejriwal government is working on a cabinet note to strike an understanding with the NCRTC for the construction of Delhi-Alwar and Delhi-Panipat Rapid Rail Transit System, or RRTS, corridors, officials said on Saturday. The Transport department of Delhi government has floated a draft cabinet note for an amendment to the Delhi-Shahjahanpur-Neemrana-Behror, or Delhi-SNB, corridor a stretch of Alwar corridor - seeking comments from Planning, Law, and Finance departments, said a senior government officer. The signing of an MoU with the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) on the two corridors can be taken up after the projects are approved by the Cabinet, he said. BJP MLA Vijender Gupta had on Friday raised the issue of Delhi-Panipat and Delhi-Alwar projects in the winter session of Delhi Assembly, and accused the AAP government of making excuses to obstruct these projects. Gupta had also in October written to the Lt Governor raising the matter. In reply t

Repair all potholes by Dec 31: Atishi pulls up officials for alleged laxity

Delhi PWD Minister Atishi on Saturday pulled up officials for alleged laxity in implementing road repair works and directed that all potholes be fixed by December 31. In an official communication to the principal secretary of the public works department (PWD), she directed that resurfacing of roads, where it is required, has to start latest by February 1 and must be finished by February 29. She also issued to the official an ultimatum to repair all potholes by the end of this year and asked for daily reports on the progress made. The minister directed the PWD principal secretary to ensure that timelines are strictly adhered to and strict action is taken against officers who cause delays. Expressing her displeasure at the state of disrepair of PWD roads, she said in the communication that it is shocking and unacceptable, and serious accidents are possible. Due to the PWD's laxity and apathy, Delhiites are at the receiving end, she said. "I have been directing the PWD for the past s

DU panel to probe 'financial irregularities' in 12 Delhi govt colleges

The Delhi University on Friday formed a committee comprising its executive council members to look into alleged "financial irregularities" in 12 Delhi government-funded colleges, according to a statement. The development comes days after Delhi Education Minister Atishi in a letter to the Centre had flagged "irregularities and procedural lapses involving hundreds of crores of rupees from the public exchequer" in these colleges. The committee will start its work from December 16 and has been asked to submit its report within 15 days, according to the statement issued by the university after a meeting of its executive council (EC) on Friday. The report will then be sent to the Union education ministry and the Delhi government, it said and added that the decision to form the committee was passed unanimously in the EC's meeting. In her letter to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on December 1 on the issue pertaining to the 12 colleges, Atishi had said, "The Delhi government ha

CM Kejriwal flags off 500 electric buses in Delhi taking total to 1,300

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal flagged off 500 electric buses here on Thursday, taking the number of such buses in the national capital to 1,300. In a post on 'X', Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said no other city in the country has so many electric buses plying. "Delhi will now have maximum number of electric buses in the country," he said. As many as 800 electric buses have been plying on Delhi roads since January 2022. These buses have covered a distance of more than 42 million kilometres and cut more than 34,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide so far, an official said. By 2025, Delhi will have a total of 10,480 buses with electric ones making up 80 per cent of the fleet. This will help cut 4.67 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, according to the official. The new buses are disabled-friendly, air-conditioned, emit zero smoke and noise, and are equipped with GPS, CCTVs and panic buttons.

RRTS project: SC grants a week's time to Delhi govt to transfer funds

The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed its displeasure over the delay on the part of the Delhi government in providing funds for the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridors and granted it a week's time to transfer the money. The RRTS project entails semi-high-speed rail corridors connecting Delhi to Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, Alwar in Rajasthan and Panipat in Haryana. "You will make me reactivate my earlier order," Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, who was heading the bench that also comprised Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, told the Delhi government counsel. The apex court had on November 21 pulled up the Delhi government for not providing funds for the project and said that funds allocated for advertisement purposes should be transferred to the project. "At the request of the counsel for Delhi government, we keep this order in abeyance for a period of one week and if the funds are not transferred, the order will come into operation," the bench had said in its order passed last ...

Delhi BJP MLAs allege that AAP govt is running away from debates

Ahead of the winter session of the Delhi assembly later this week, BJP MLAs on Wednesday alleged that the AAP government was running away from debates on issues related to the people of the city. No immediate reaction was available from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the charge. There are eight BJP MLAs in the 70-member House as against AAP's 62. At a joint press conference here, Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri alleged that the Kejriwal government in the last four years did not allow notices of the BJP legislators over issues related to Delhi. He claimed that his party's MLAs have given notices for debates on issues like the poor condition of transportation, compensation to farmers, pollution in the Yamuna, old age pension and non-issuing of ration cards. The winter session of the Delhi Assembly will begin on Friday. Apart from tabling revised estimates of the budget, debates on different issues are likely in the House during the two-day session. Bidhuri also char

Delhi Jal board fund row: Finance secretary causing delay, says Atishi

Despite adherence to the prescribed payment schedule and timely submission of utilisation certificates, the finance secretary has persistently raised new queries, impeding the release of much-needed funds for the Delhi Jal Board, Water Minister Atishi has said. Atishi said this in an affidavit filed in the Delhi High Court on Monday in response to a personal affidavit filed by Finance Secretary Ashish Chandra Verma in connection with a case related to the delay in release of funds for the DJB by the officer. While the first instalment of grant-in-aid/loan was released in May, the second instalment of Rs 2,031 crore was due in October, the minister said. "Despite adherence to the prescribed payment schedule and timely submission of utilisation certificates and requisite details by the DJB on September 12, the Principal Secretary (Finance), Finance and Planning Department, has persistently raised new and varied queries, impeding the release of the much-needed funds," she said. "I hav

Delhi govt plans to provide parents with live-feed of CCTVs in classrooms

The Delhi government has developed an app, called 'DGS Live', through which parents can get a live view of cameras installed in classrooms for about five minutes per class

Delhi excise dept asks people to get P-10 license for liquor in weddings

In view of the wedding season, the Delhi government's excise department has requested people to get temporary P-10 licenses to ensure liquor was consumed properly in a responsible manner on such occasions, officials said Monday. An excise department officer said drinking in public during the wedding season needs to be curbed and people should avoid it by serving liquor in a proper manner by obtaining a requisite permit. Sale of liquor picks up in November and December when the wedding season is in full swing in Delhi, necessitating P-10 licenses for serving liquor at marriage parties, he said. However, as per official data, a total of 1,716 P-10 licenses were issued in October and November this year, despite a rise in the number of festival and wedding functions. P-10 licenses are issued for serving liquor at parties and functions. The fee for it is Rs 15,000 for parties held at banquet halls, motels and farmhouses and Rs 5,000 for any other place. For private parties and function

Delhi to create separate budget head for funds to NCRTC for RRTS project

The Delhi government will create a separate head in its Budget Estimate for allocation of funds to the NCRTC for the RRTS project, days after the Supreme Court came down heavily on it for not coming up with funds for the rapid transit corridors to Alwar and Panipat. The city government released Rs 415 crore to the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) for the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project following the top court's rap. According to an official, the Delhi government's transport department had not allocated funds for the project under any budget head in 2023-24. "The allocation of funds to the RRTS project was nowhere mentioned in the Budget Estimate that was sent before the budget and even in the subsequent discussions between the finance and the transport departments. It meant that it was completely missed," said the official. In order to avoid such a recurrence, the finance department has directed the transport department to keep a budget head for th

Keeping me in custody serves no purpose, AAP's Sanjay Singh tells court

AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Saturday urged a court here to release him, saying no purpose will be served by keeping him in further custody in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise scam. Singh's counsel made the submission before Special Judge M K Nagpal during the hearing of his bail application. He told the court that he was not required for further investigation and that the probe against him was over. "The ED has already filed its charge sheet against me after the completion of the investigation. I'm not required for the custodial interrogation any further. There is no purpose to keep me in further custody," Singh's counsel told the court. During the arguments, the ED said the probe was ongoing and if released on bail, Singh could hamper the investigation and tamper with the evidence as well as influence the witnesses. In the course of hearing on bail application, the fifth supplementary prosecution complaint filed against Singh was also taken out from a se

Milk bank, AI-driven civic monitoring among proposals in MCD's next budget

The MCD's budget for next fiscal will see the establishment of its first Lactation Management Unit, or Milk Bank, and use of Artificial Intelligence for monitoring of civic amenities. The civic body has in its budget estimates for 2024-25 provisioned funds for construction of around 20 school buildings in different zones of the city. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Saturday presented a budget estimate of Rs 16,683.02 crore for the year 2024-25 with estimated income to be Rs 15,686.99 crore. The civic body saw a spike of Rs 400 crore in the revenue, as it earned Rs 2,417 crore in the financial year 2022-23 -- the highest revenue in the history of the Corporation through property tax, according to the MCD. The MCD's first milk bank will be set up in Swami Dayanand Hospital, it said. The corporation has proposed a pilot project for Preet Vihar, East Patel Nagar, and Kotla Mubarakpur wards for the extension of civic services through artificial intelligence. It proposed to const

Day after Delhi LG recalls files, Gahlot loses law portfolio to Atishi

Kailash Gahlot was divested of the Law and Justice portfolio in the AAP government on Friday, a day after LG V K Saxena recalled files related to judicial infrastructure and administration in the city as they remained pending with him for months, officials said. They said the Chief Minister's Office wrote to the LG office recommending to assign the charge of the law ministry to Atishi and it has received Saxena's nod. The AAP government has not officially responded to queries. With this change, the number of portfolios held by Atishi has increased to 14, the highest among the ministers of the Kejriwal government. Earlier in October, she was handed over the charge of water department. In June, Atishi was given charge of the Revenue, Planning and the Finance Departments, the portfolios earlier held by Gahlot. Gahlot now holds the charge of Transport, Home, Administrative Reforms and Information Technology departments. Saxena on Thursday recalled files related to courts, judicial .

SC notice to Delhi L-G office on 'Farishtey Dilli Ke': What is this scheme?

Under the 'Farishtey Dilli Ke' scheme, the government awards Rs 2,000 and a certificate to those taking accident victims to the hospital

Delay in fund disbursal halted all works of Delhi Jal Board: Somnath Bharti

Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman Somnath Bharti Friday said all maintenance and developmental works of DJB have "come to a standstill" due to the delay in disbursal of funds from the finance secretary. In an interview with PTI, he said that since maintenance work happens every day and DJB contractors have gone on strike due to non-payment of dues, the work of the jal board has been "suffering". The Delhi Jal Board contractors association has been on strike since November 27 over non-payment of dues, with its general secretary Vinay Mangla claiming that around 1,150 contractors have halted their work until payments are made to everyone. Bharti said, "Multiple projects are underway and contractors haven't been paid since February. Maintenance work, including cleaning of contamination, and repairing or replacing pipelines, happens every other day in Delhi. All maintenance and developmental works of DJB have come to a standstill due to delay in disbursal of funds." He said that as a plea

Delhi govt report shows decline in sex ratio, rise in birth rate in 2022

The sex ratio in the national capital dropped to 929 in 2022 from 932 a year back, according to a report published by the Delhi government. The 'Annual report on registration of births and deaths in Delhi, 2022' showed that the birth rate in Delhi increased to 14.24 per thousand of population during 2022 from 13.13 in 2021. The death rate declined to 6.07 per cent in 2022 from 8.28 per cent in 2021. It also revealed a significant jump in the average number of births per day in Delhi i.e. up from 745 in 2021 to 823 in 2022. The sex ratio declined to 929 per thousand males in 2022 from 932 in 2021, the report said. The report said 1,55,670 (51.83 per cent) of the total births registered were males and 1,44,581 (48.14 per cent) were females and 99 (0.03 per cent) belonged to the "others" category. Out of the total births, 2,82,389 (94.02 per cent) were institutional -- 1,86,905 (66.19 per cent) of them in government hospitals -- and 17,961 (5.98 per cent) were domiciliary in nature.

Winter vacation in Delhi schools reduced to 6 days, to begin from Jan 1

Winter vacation in Delhi schools has been reduced from 15 to six days and will begin from January 1, 2024, a circular from the Directorate of Education said on Wednesday. Winter vacation for the academic session 2023-24 was scheduled to take place from January 1 to January 15. "However, in order to ensure that our students are not adversely affected due to the poor air quality in Delhi, a portion of winter Vacation was observed from November 9 to November 18," the circular read. The remaining portion of the winter vacation for academic session 2023-2024 is scheduled to be observed from January 1 to January 6, 2024. "All the Heads of Schools of Delhi are hereby directed to disseminate this information among all the stakeholders including the teaching/non-teaching staff, students and parents," the DoE said.

Kejriwal to meet rat-hole miners from Delhi who saved 41 tunnel workers

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will meet the rat-hole mining experts from Delhi who participated in the operation to rescue the 41 workers trapped in Silkyara tunnel, officials said on Friday. The workers got trapped inside the tunnel in Uttarakhand after a portion of it collapsed. They were rescued on Tuesday following 17 days of a multi-agency operation. The 12-member team of rat-hole mining experts were called to do the drilling after an American auger machine came across hurdles while clearing the rubble. According to officials, some of them are involved in laying sewer lines and pipelines for the Delhi Jal Board. "Kejriwal will meet them later in the day," an official said. Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually 3-4 feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed "rat holes", as each just about fits one person. At the Silkyara tunnel, the 12 experts were called by Trenchless Engineering Services Pvt Ltd and