Page 23 - Delhi-ncr

As Delhi PWD minister, I was never called for any G20 prep meeting: Atishi

Delhi PWD minister Atishi Saturday dismissed Lt Governor V K Saxena's allegation that AAP ministers attended just one G20 preparatory meet, and said "had he involved us in preparations, we would have done better". The minister also said the AAP dispensation asked for Rs 927 crore from the Centre for the G20 preparations but did not get a single penny. However, she insisted now is not the time for a credit war. "This is not the time to say this is their work or this is our work. It is a matter of pride for the country that we are hosting the G20 Summit. I feel that if we work together, it will be good for the country," Atishi told PTI in an interview. With the countdown to the G20 Summit beginning, a political slugfest has erupted in Delhi with the BJP claiming the work has been done by the Centre, and the AAP rebutting it. "Till date, the Centre has not not given us a single penny for G20. We had asked for Rs 927 crore but we did not get anything. We didn't make it an issue thinkin

NCLT directs to initiate insolvency proceedings against Imperia Structures

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has directed to initiate insolvency proceedings against Delhi NCR-based realty firm Imperia Structures and has appointed an interim resolution professional. Admitting a joint plea filed by 28 unit holders of its Gurugram-based project 'Imperia Mindscape', the insolvency tribunal said after examining the records, it is clear that there is a debt and a subsequent default by the realty firm for an amount of Rs 36.79 crore as it could not provide assured returns as promised. "The petition establishes that the corporate debtor is in default of a debt due and payable and that the default is for an amount which is more than the minimum amount of pecuniary threshold stipulated under section 4 (1) of the Code. The instant petition... for initiating CIRP against Imperia Structures Limited, the corporate debtor, stands admitted and CIRP of Imperia Structures Limited is initiated," said NCLT. NCLT has also appointed Gaurav Katiyar as Interim Resolution .

Cut-outs of langurs deployed along G20 routes to scare off monkeys

Senior officials said that the NDMC intends to employ 40 trained personnel to mimic the sounds made by grey langurs to ward off monkeys

Delhiites lose nearly 12 years of their lives to air pollution, says report

Delhi has emerged as the world's most polluted city in a new study which has also found that its residents are on track of losing 11.9 years of life if the current levels of pollution persist. The Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) released by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago also showed that all of India's 1.3 billion people live in areas where the annual average particulate pollution level exceeds the 5 g/m3 limit set by World Health Organization (WHO). It also found that 67.4 per cent of the country's population lives in areas that exceed the country's own national air quality standard of 40 g/m3. The study said fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) shortens an average Indian's life expectancy by 5.3 years, relative to what it would be if the 5 g/m3 pollution limit set by (WHO) was met. The AQLI said that Delhi is the most polluted city in the world with its 18 million residents on track to lose 11.9 years of life expectancy on average relative to the WHO lim

Grant paid holiday to employees during G20 summit: Delhi govt to businesses

The city government has directed shops, businesses and commercial establishments in the New Delhi district to grant paid holiday to their employees and workers during the G20 summit. The Delhi government had issued a notification declaring public holiday in the national capital on September 8-10. The G20 Leaders' Summit will be held at the newly built convention centre at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi district of the national capital. Last week, the government had announced the closure of banks, financial institutions and commercial establishments in the district. "Accordingly, all employers of shops, commercial and business establishments functioning in New Delhi, district of NCT of Delhi shall close their shops, commercial and business establishments from 08/09/2023 to 10/09/2023 and grant paid holiday to their employees/workers," it said. The summit is likely to be attended by 29 heads of state as well as top officials of the European Union and invited guest countries and 14 heads

Chandni Chowk traders plan to hire guides for foreign visitors during G20

Traders in Chandni Chowk are planning to hire English translators, French-speaking guides, and college students as volunteers as part of their plan to cater to the needs of foreign visitors who are expected in high numbers at the iconic market during the G20 Summit here next month. According to shop owners, these measures will help facilitate communication with foreign visitors. "We are planning to hire English translators, guides, including those who speak French, to avoid any communication problems. Our aim is to make Chandni Chowk, which is famous all over the country, famous in other countries also," Brijesh Goyal, chairman of Chamber of Traders and Industry (CTI) told PTI video. Their entire cost will be borne by shop owners, and the translators will be hired for four days from September 8-11, he added. Around 1,000 volunteers will be engaged, which includes professionals, and students from schools and colleges. Shop owners expressed their enthusiasm regarding the summit and

Retailers' body asks Delhi govt to reconsider total shutdown for G20 summit

Retailers Association of India on Monday asked the Delhi government to reconsider the total shutdown for retail stores, malls, and restaurants from September 8-10 in view of the G20 Summit. The move would deprive international visitors of experiencing India's unique shopping and culinary scenes, Retailers Association of India (RAI) said in a statement voicing concerns about the proposed blanket suspension of operations for retail stores, malls, and restaurants during the G20 Summit. "Retail is integral to Delhi's cultural identity. Entirely shutting down retail and food and beverage establishments during the G20 Summit would deprive international visitors of experiencing India's unique shopping and culinary scenes," RAI CEO Kumar Rajagopalan said. He asked the Delhi government to allow "at least partial retail operations to promote the 'Sell in India' initiative in tandem with Make in India". The retail industry body said a three-day total closure would significantly impact the ret

Construction workers to get welfare schemes' benefits through DBT: Delhi LG

Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena has approved 17 welfare schemes, including disability pension and medical assistance, for registered construction workers of the national capital, officials said on Saturday. The benefits under the schemes would be provided by direct benefit transfer (DBT) after Aadhar-based authentication of the beneficiaries registered with Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board (DBOCWWB), they said. Saxena has directed strict monitoring of disbursement process to ensure that benefits are given only to the genuine beneficiaries and there are no leakages, officials at LG office said. "The move aims at minimising leakages as in recent times, there were several instances of financial irregularities by providing benefits to ghost construction workers that are being probed by the Anti Corruption Branch," they said. The LG has approved the notification of 17 welfare schemes of the DBOCWWB with specific directions for constant supervision and monitoring

Led by Twamev, Apple, retail leasing in Delhi up 65% between Jan and June

At the end of 2023, retail leasing is expected to touch 5.5-6 million sq ft, the highest level after the 2019 peak of 6.8 million sq ft

NCCF imports 5 tonne tomatoes from Nepal for sale in UP at subsidised rates

Cooperative NCCF on Wednesday said about 5 tonne tomatoes imported from neighbouring country Nepal are in transit and will be retailed at a subsidised rate of Rs 50/kilogram in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. The National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Ltd (NCCF) has contracted for import of 10 tonne of tomatoes from Nepal. NCCF is undertaking imports as well as domestic procurement of tomatoes on behalf of the central government and retailing them at a subsidised rate to give relief to consumers from high prices of the kitchen staple. The retail intervention is being undertaken on direction from the Union consumer affairs ministry. Speaking to PTI, NCCF Managing Director Anice Joseph Chandra said, "We have contracted 10 tonne of tomato imports from Nepal. Out of this, 3-4 tonne was distributed yesterday in Uttar Pradesh. About 5 tonne...is in transit and will be retailed tomorrow in UP at subsidised rates." The imported tomatoes cannot be sold in other parts of India becau

Weather to remain cloudy in Delhi NCR on Independence day, predicts IMD

IMD Weather Forecast: The weather department predicts light to moderate thunderstorms on Independence Day in Delhi NCR and issues a yellow alert in Himachal Pradesh from August 14 to 17, 2023

NCCF sold 71.5 tonnes of tomatoes in Delhi at Rs 70/kg over the weekend

NCCF has been selling tomatoes at a discounted rate since July 11 on behalf of the consumer affairs ministry to boost domestic availability and contain prices

EV Policy subsidy to continue till new one notified: Delhi minister

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot on Monday announced that subsidy benefits under the existing Electric Vehicle Policy will continue till a new one gets notified. The Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy, introduced in August 2020, aims at increasing the EV share in total vehicle sales to 25 per cent by 2024. According to official data, over 1.12 lakh electric vehicles have been sold under the policy. "Today, we complete three years of Delhi's landmark EV policy that has propelled Delhi to becoming India's electric vehicle capital. "Since the formulation of a new electric vehicle policy is still under process, the subsidy benefits of the existing policy will continue till the new policy gets notified," Gahlot said in a tweet. Delhi's electric vehicle policy has so far achieved around 86 per cent of its measures and targets, the transport department said in May. The transport department and Delhi Electric Vehicle Cell also held a stakeholder consultation in May as part of the proces

Country witnessing coercive instead of cooperative federalism: Tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday alleged that "blatant subversion of the constitutional separation of powers" was taking place through the bill to replace the Delhi services ordinance and said while Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about cooperative federalism, the country was witnessing "coercive federalism". Participating in the the debate in Lok Sabha on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Tharoor argued that the proposed bill represents a "grave chapter in the history of the Indian republic, seeking to ratify an ordinance that in many ways is an assault on our democratic heritage and the spirit of federalism". He argued that bill with such a substantive policy change should not have been brought in the first place when a motion of no-confidence was pending against the government. "The Bhagavad Gita of parliamentary practice and procedure -- MN Kaul and SL Shakdher (book) -- explicitly states that when the leave of the House to t

Lucknow next industrial, logistic hub; to generate 70K jobs in 5 yrs: CBRE

Lucknow region is emerging as a key industrial and logistics hub in North India after Delhi-NCR as the warehousing sector is estimated to generate 70,000 direct employment opportunities over the next five years, according to property consultant CBRE. In a statement on Thursday, CBRE South Asia said that Lucknow region has witnessed about Rs 400 crore of investment by leading players like Amazon, Mondelez and Flipkart in the last five years, and an additional Rs 70 crore investment is expected in the development of warehouses in the city. The demand for quality warehousing space has consistently grown in Lucknow over the past five years and attained record levels in FY23, the consultant said. The total leasing of warehousing space in Lucknow region in 2022-23 stood at 0.18 million square feet from 0.11 million square feet in the previous year. Currently, the Lucknow region has a total of 5.2 million square feet of warehouse stock with about 1.4 million square feet of Grade A supply

Nuh clashes: SC asks govts to ensure no violence in VHP's protest marches

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre and the state governments concerned to ensure no hate speech or violence takes place in Delhi-NCR during marches being held by VHP and Bajrang Dal to protest the communal clashes in Haryana's Nuh. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and S V Bhatti also ordered that additional police or paramilitary forces be deployed and CCTV cameras be installed in sensitive areas. The top court passed the order after senior advocate C U Singh, appearing for journalist Shaheen Abdullah, said 23 demonstrations have been announced by right-wing groups Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal in various parts of the National Capital Region (NCR). Six people, including two home guards, have died in the communal violence which broke out in Nuh after a mob tried to stop a VHP procession on July 31. As many as 116 people have been arrested so far, according to the state government.

Delhi-bound AI flight returns to Melbourne due to medical emergency

A Delhi-bound Air India flight returned to Melbourne due to a medical emergency after being airborne for more than one hour on Sunday morning, according to an airline official. The flight AI309, operated with a Boeing Dreamliner, took off again after de-planing the unwell passenger and his family members and later landed at Delhi airport in the evening at around 2130 hours. The official said that one passenger was feeling unwell and a doctor onboard suggested that the passenger needed to be hospitalised. Since it was a medical emergency, the flight which was airborne for a little over one hour returned to Melbourne in the morning, the official said. Details about the number of passengers onboard could not be immediately ascertained.

Paris-bound Air India flight returns to Delhi after suspected tyre burst

Air India officials said that alternate arrangements are being made for the passengers to reach their destinations

Govt panel strengthens measures to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR

A government panel tasked with improving the air quality in Delhi and its adjoining areas has made crucial changes to a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in the region in winter. The changes include strict restrictions on the plying of overage vehicles and a complete ban on the use of coal and firewood in eateries, restaurants and hotels when the air quality index (AQI) breaches the 200 mark. In addition, BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers will be immediately banned in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar if the AQI crosses the 400 mark. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body formed under an Act in 2021, had amended the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), first notified in 2017, in July last year also to ensure proactive implementation of anti-air pollution steps based on forecasts -- up to three days in advance. Earlier, the authorities would implement these measures, including banning construction and demolit

CAQM asks Delhi-NCR to reduce air pollution due to use of diesel generators

The Centre's Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has asked Delhi and states in NCR to minimise air pollution due to indiscriminate use of diesel generator sets in industrial, commercial, institutional and residential sectors. At a review meeting with the power distribution companies in Delhi and NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan, the panel discussed their preparedness for the winter season when there is a spike in air pollution levels. The meeting aimed at ensuring reliable and uninterrupted power supply during the critical period when air pollution generally worsens due to unfavourable meteorological conditions. One of the key points reiterated during the meeting was the need to minimise air pollution resulting from indiscriminate use of diesel generator sets in industrial, commercial, institutional and residential sectors, according to a statement. The power distribution companies assured the CAQM that efforts are being made to curtail dependence on .