Page 49 - Delhi Government

Strictly implement curbs on polluting vehicles, biomass burning: Gopal Rai

As air quality turned severe again in the national capital, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday directed agencies and departments concerned to ensure strict implementation of curbs on polluting vehicles and check the increasing incidents of biomass burning. Recent data shows that vehicular emissions account for about 25-30 per cent of the capital's air pollution. Though stubble burning has reduced, biomass burning at different locations in Delhi-NCR is responsible for 21 per cent of Delhi air pollution, Rai told reporters here. Earlier during the day, Rai chaired a meeting with senior officials of various departments to review the air pollution situation. He said the transport department and the Delhi Traffic Police have been asked to strictly monitor the implementation of curbs on BS III petrol and BS IV diesel vehicles under stage III of the Centre's air pollution control plan called the Graded Response Action Plan. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the revenue ..

Delhi air pollution: Gopal Rai to hold review meeting with DPCC today

The air quality in the national capital continued to hover in the 'very poor' category on Friday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at over 350 in several areas

Bamnoli case: Atishi alleges chief secretary tried to save official

Delhi Vigilance Minister Atishi on Wednesday submitted a supplementary report to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on corruption allegations against Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, claiming the bureaucrat tried to save an official in the Bamnoli land acquisition matter, government sources said. In the fresh report, Atishi reiterated her recommendation for suspension of the chief secretary, they said. There was no immediate response from the chief secretary on the supplementary report. He had earlier denied any wrongdoing and alleged that people with "vested interests" against whom vigilance action was taken for corruption were indulging in "mud-slinging". The matter pertains to alleged corruption in acquisition of 19 acres of land in southwest Delhi's Bamnoli village. In her first report submitted to Kejriwal, Atishi had alleged "prima facie complicity" of the chief secretary in the land acquisition matter. The compensation for the 19-acre land was hiked from Rs 41 crore to Rs 353 cror

RRTS fund delay due to finance secy not clearing file: Kejriwal govt

In the wake of a dressing down by the Supreme Court on Tuesday, the Arvind Kejriwal government alleged it had to face the court's ire because the Finance secretary failed to clear the file he had been sent a month ago for the release of funds for the RRTS project. The Supreme Court earlier in the day pulled up the Delhi government for not coming up with funds for the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridors to Alwar and Panipat, and said if the dues were not paid within a week, the funds allocated by the AAP government for advertisements will be transferred to the project. The Kejriwal government in a statement said that it supports the RRTS project and welcomes SC order. It said it had released the first tranche of funds, approx Rs 80 crore, a few months back. "The file for release of the remaining funds was approved by the Transport Minister and sent to the Finance Secretary over a month ago yet the funds haven't been released. As a result, the Delhi government had to hear

Pay RRTS share, or ad money will be transferred: SC to Delhi govt

The court observed that there was 'gross breach' of the assurances given by the Delhi Government in earlier hearings

RRTS project: SC pulls up Delhi govt for not providing its share of funds

The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up the Delhi government for not providing funds for the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridors to Alwar and Panipat, and said if the dues were not paid within a week, the funds allocated by the AAP government for advertisements will be transferred to the project. The RRTS project entails semi-high speed rail corridors connecting Delhi to Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, Alwar in Rajasthan, and Panipat in Haryana. The apex court said budgetary provision was something which the state government should look into but if such national projects were to be affected and money was spent on advertisements, it would be inclined to direct that those funds be transferred for this project. A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia observed that on July 24, the counsel representing the Delhi government had assured the top court that payment would be made towards the project. "We are thus constrained to direct that funds allocated for ...

Delhi Excise Policy: Court extends judicial custody of Sisodia till Dec 11

Hearing the matter at length the court noted that several documents are yet to be filed by the Enforcement Directorate for the accused persons

Property registration stalled by sub-registrars: BJP cites Delhi RERA order

The Delhi BJP on Monday claimed that following a NCT of Delhi RERA order, property registration has been stalled by the sub-registrars here. However, a senior revenue department officer said no directions have been issued to sub-registrars to stop property registrations. Slamming the AAP government, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to clarify whether the NCT of Delhi Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) order will apply on properties constructed before November 20 or any later date. Sources in the AAP-led Delhi government, however, said RERA comes under the Centre, so the BJP should question the central government, and stop "misleading" the people. In a statement, Sachdeva claimed that "misusing the Supreme Court's concern for protecting the interest of property buyers, the Delhi government's RERA has brought a notification after which sub-registrars stalled property registration in Delhi today." The Delhi RERA in its order in September

Delhi govt to increase minimum wages of MCD employees to Rs 17,234

The Delhi government has decided to increase the minimum wage of MCD employees, a civic official said on Monday. Monthly minimum wages for unskilled workers of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will be increased to Rs 17,234 from Rs 16,792. The wage will rise to Rs 18,993 from Rs 18,499 for semi-skilled workers and to Rs 20,903 from Rs 20,375 for skilled workers. Dearness allowance will be paid to all MCD workers staring April 1, the officials added. The AAP had announced dearness allowance for all MCD employees with effect from April 1. A government proposal on increasing the minimum wages will be tabled for approval in the next MCD House meeting. The accumulated dearness allowance for civic employees will be released after it is approved by the House, the MCD official said. The minimum wages for clerical and supervisory staff will also be increased in all scheduled employment, according to the agenda of the MCD House meeting. According to the proposal, the minimum salar

This is Kejriwal's model: BJP slams Delhi CM over toxic foam in Yamuna

BJP Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused Kejriwal of spending thousands of crores given by the Centre on advertisements or "doing corruption" instead of cleaning Yamuna

L-G refuses to consider Delhi govt's report on Bamnoli acquisition

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has refused to consider a report of Vigilance Minister Atishi alleging "prima facie complicity" of Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar in the Bamnoli land acquisition matter, saying it seems to be "completely based" on the minister's preconceived assumptions and presumptions, Raj Niwas officials said on Sunday. In a file noting on the government's submission of the report to him, Saxena has said the report "could very well go on to hamper the ongoing investigation, instead of facilitating it". "I have received the 'Preliminary Report' on 'Complaints', submitted by Hon'ble Minister (Vigilance) and endorsed by Hon'ble Chief Minister. It is surprising and unfortunate, to say the least, that this report, which deals with sensitive vigilance-related matters and has been marked to my Secretariat in confidential cover, is already in public domain and its digital/electronic copies are freely available and details thereof have been widely reported in the media,"

Delhi HC orders high powered committee on pvt schools' staff salary issue

The Delhi High Court has directed the city government to constitute a high powered committee to supervise implementation of recommendations and guidelines of the sixth and seventh Central Pay Commission (CPC) dealing with salaries and arrears to staff of private unaided schools and recognised private unaided minority schools here. Terming education as an invincible weapon for empowering the next generation, the high court said the regulating authority has to exercise certain control to ensure that uniform quality of education was provided to every student of the country. The high court said the committee shall be constituted at Central and Zonal level and also directed the Directorate of Education (DoE) to issue a notification within two weeks for the purpose of convening zonal committee, wherein, various stakeholders including teaching and non-teaching staff of several schools, who are aggrieved by the nonimplementation of the Pay Commission, shall file their claim before the ...

Delhi L-G orders inquiry into delay, cost escalation in Barapullah project

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has given nod to acquire a land parcel to complete the Barapullah corridor phase-III project which was delayed by six years, Raj Niwas officials said on Saturday. According to officials, Saxena has asked the chief secretary to conduct an inquiry into the erred planning and assessment of land requirement that led to the project delay and cost escalation by Rs 362 crore. The LG has also directed for the suspension of the project's engineers in charge right from the start of the construction, if yet serving, and initiating suitable action against those who have retired, they said. The two land parcels measuring 1,169 square metres and 709.9 square metres are located in Nangli Razapur village in the Southeast district of the city. The project was held up due to non-acquisition of these land parcels all these years, the Raj Niwas officials said. Citing the AAP government's oft-repeated claims that it was saving huge amount of public money by executin

Delhi schools to resume classes from Nov 20 after Grap IV curbs lifted

All government-aided and private schools in the national capital shall resume classes in offline mode from November 20 as GRAP IV has been revoked, an official circular said on Saturday. The decision has been taken in view of the improving AQI and forecast by the IMD/IITM that there is no indication of any sharp degradation in Delhi's AQI in the near future, a circular by the Directorate of Education said. Classes for all students from pre-school to standard 12 will resume from November 20 onwards, the circular said. The Centre's Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for Delhi-NCR categorises actions to control pollution into four stages: Stage I -- Poor (AQI 201-300), Stage II -- Very Poor (AQI 301-400), Stage III -- Severe (AQI 401-450) and Stage IV -- Severe Plus (AQI above 450). However, outdoor sports activities and morning assembly will remain suspended for the next one week, the circular added. "This is in continuation of order issued on 18/11/2023 vide which winter break w.e

Over 1,000 Chhath ghats built, ensuring robust security: Delhi govt

Delhi Revenue Minister Atishi on Saturday said the government has built over 1,000 Chhath ghats across Delhi so that anyone in the city can celebrate the festival here. During an inspection of the Chhath ghats constructed by the government in Mayur Vihar Phase-3, the minister directed the district administration and police to ensure robust security arrangements at all Ghats so that devotees do not face any issues, officials said. The government has constructed eight artificial ponds at the DDA ground in Mayur Vihar Phase-3 where thousands of devotees can perform their Chhath rituals together. Most of the preparations at this ghat have been completed, officials said. The four-day festival of Chhath has begun. Chhath is a significant festival for the people of Delhi and our people from the Purvanchal region. Therefore, the city government organises a grand celebration for Chhath every year," the revenue minister said. "The government builds Chhath ghats in neighbourhoods throughout t

Delhi CM Kejriwal sends report to L-G demanding sacking of chief secy

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has sent Vigilance Minister Atishi's report accusing Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar of using his position to enable a "lucrative collaboration" between a company in which his son is a partner and the ILBS to to the Lieutenant Governor, sources said on Saturday. The report was submitted to Kejriwal by the Vigilance Minister on Thursday. The report recommended Kumar's suspension and a CBI investigation in the matter. Sources close to the chief secretary have claimed that his son is not a signatory of any Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the company and the ILBS. He is not at all connected with the company in question as a shareholder or director or partner or employee, they claimed. The Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in a statement on Thursday denied the allegations as "totally baseless and without merit." "ILBS confirms that it did not issue any purchase order or made any payment to any Al software developer or company," sa

Ensure ban of private polluting buses in Delhi: AAP govt to authorities

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai directed the transport department on Friday to conduct a special drive to prevent the entry of private polluting buses into the capital. The minister reviewed the implementation of air pollution control measures at the Sarai Kale Interstate Bus Terminal and found buses from other states flouting the ban imposed on BS IV diesel vehicles under the Centre's Graded Response Action Plan. "We have found that private buses from other states have been violating the ban and have directed the transport department to run a special drive to check the entry of such vehicles into Delhi," he told reporters. Citing experts' views, Rai said that a slight improvement in meteorological conditions might lead to marginal relief but urged agencies to remain alert. Strict restrictions, including a ban on construction work and the entry of polluting trucks into the capital, under the final stage (Stage IV) of the Centre's air pollution control plan, known as the Graded

Delhi govt sends Bamnoli land acquisition report to CBI, ED; seeks probe

The Delhi government has sent to the CBI and the ED a report of Vigilance Minister Atishi alleging "prima facie complicity" of Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar in the Bamnoli land acquisition matter, requesting a probe, government sources said on Thursday. Kumar has denied any wrongdoing and alleged that "mudslinging" was being done by people with "vested interests" against whom vigilance action was taken for corruption. On Wednesday, the 670-page report of Vigilance Minister Atishi was submitted to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's office. It has demanded Kumar's suspension and claimed that the scale of "undue benefits" in the matter was more than Rs 897 crore. "The report was referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after the chief minister gave his go ahead," a source said. Compensation for 19-acre land in southwest Delhi's Bamnoli village for the NHAI's Dwarka Expressway project was allegedly raised

CM directs Health Minister Bharadwaj to visit govt hospital in east Delhi

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday directed Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj to visit a city government-run hospital in east Delhi and take corrective steps to improve amenities at the facility. The chief minister shared this in a post on X, in response to a post made late Tuesday night by a user, alleging insanitary conditions in the toilets of GTB Hospital. "Delhi's sick hospital -- toilets are overflowing, full of filth, this is how the hospitals of Delhi are, the picture is of the largest GTB hospital across Yamuna, where patients, attendants and staff have to pass by a toilet with a cloth over their mouths. The cleanliness system in the hospital is zero," the user alleged in the post along with a photograph. Kejriwal on Wednesday responded to the post on X. "I have directed the health minister to visit the hospital today along with senior officials and take corrective steps," he wrote.

Delhi pollution: AAP minister checks Singhu border for vehicle restrictions

Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday sai that GRAP IV regulations will remain enforced in Delhi until the next order of the Commission for Air Quality Management.