Page 152 - Delhi

BJP accuses AAP govt of wasting Rs 63 cr on publicity of Shopping Festival

Delhi BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana slammed the AAP government for "announcing events without any preparation and wasting public money on their publicity"

Delhi BJP targets Gautam Gambhir, seeks CBI probe into dhalaos' allotment

BJP MLA from east Delhi's Gandhinagar, Anil Bajpai, has once again targeted party MP Gautam Gambhir, seeking a CBI probe into the allotment of MCD 'dhalaos' (dump yards) to private individuals and organisations. In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday, Bajpai, without naming anyone, claimed that spaces allotted for dhalaos in the area have been converted into 'jan rasois' (community kitchens) and a library and their ownership given to private organisations. "In some assembly constituencies in east Delhi, the space allotted for a dhalao has been converted into kitchen and library and the ownership has been given to private organisations, he claimed. Gambhir has been running four 'jan rasois' in his East Delhi constituency at refurbished dhalaos to provide meals to the needy at a token price of just one rupee. He had also opened a library in one such dhalao in Priya Enclave that was later handed over to Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Bajpai, in October last yea

Govt to cut waiting time for police clearance certificates for passport

Passport applicants in Delhi can now expect quicker issuance of police clearance certificates (PCCs) with the government on Friday rolling out an App for reducing the verification timeline. The Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Delhi said the city police are being given mobile tablets to reduce the passport issuance timeline by 10 days. It said Home Minister Amit Shah has dedicated 350 mobile tablets to the personnel of Delhi Police on Thursday. Police verification is an integral part of the passport issuance system. "Various steps have been taken to streamline and expedite the process. To further expedite the process the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), introduced 'mPassport Police App'," the RPO said. "On February 16, on the occasion of Delhi Police Raising Day, the Home Minister of India dedicated 350 mobile Tablets to the personnel of Special Branch/Delhi Police. This would result in the entire process of police verification and submission report digital and paperless." it

Twitter's two India offices vacant as social media firm cuts costs

Sources said that no one has reported at Twitter's office at the WeWork facility in the Bombay-Kurla Complex (BKC)

Gap in sewage generation, treatment to be remedied urgently: NGT on Yamuna

The National Green Tribunal has said the "huge gap" in the generation and treatment of sewage in the Yamuna catchment area in Haryana needed to be remedied on a war footing. It also noted that the water quality of the Yamuna river deteriorated after it entered the national capital and that the existing gaps in sewage management here needed to be "duly considered and addressed". Noting that the state of Uttar Pradesh did not submit a report regarding the Yamuna pollution, the tribunal said it was a matter of "serious regret". The tribunal was hearing matters pertaining to remedial action against "unabated pollution" of the Yamuna and the authorities' alleged failure to tackle the same to the detriment of the rule of law, environment and public health in spite of specific orders on the subject passed by the Supreme Court and the tribunal. A bench led by NGT Chairperson Justice A K Goel noted the report submitted by the state of Haryana stated that there was a gap of 240 million litre

Delhi, Maha, Haryana, UP have most comprehensive EV policies: Report

Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh have the most comprehensive electric vehicle policies with the widest range of parameters, including budget allocations, charging infrastructure and job creation, according to a new study. The study by Climate Trends, 'Analysis Of State Electric Vehicle Policies And Their Impact', assesses the comprehensiveness of EV policies of 26 states and Union territories based on 21 parameters. Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Kerala, and Uttarakhand offer between three to seven of the 21 defined parameters in their policies, making them the least comprehensive, it said. Of the 26 states and UTs which have released EV policies over the last five years, 16 of them have been released between 2020 and 2022, it said. None of the eight states -- Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Delhi -- that released their policies before October 2020 are on track to meet their targets of EV ...

I-T officials leave BBC offices after three days of 'lengthy questioning'

The Income Tax authorities have left the offices of the BBC in New Delhi and Mumbai after three days of lengthy questioning of some of its staff, the UK-headquartered public broadcaster said on Thursday. The BBC said it will continue to cooperate with the authorities after the I-T "survey" action at the broadcaster's India offices, which began on Tuesday morning. It said the priority was to support its staff, many of whom have had to stay overnight in the offices during the course of the enquiries. The Income Tax Authorities have left our offices in Delhi and Mumbai, a BBC spokesperson said in its latest statement on Thursday evening. We will continue to cooperate with the authorities and hope matters are resolved as soon as possible. We are supporting staff some of whom have faced lengthy questioning or been required to stay overnight and their welfare is our priority, the spokesperson said. The broadcaster said its output is now back to normal and reiterated its previous state

Process to scrap Delhi govt vehicles older than 15 years started: Officials

The Delhi government has started the process for scrapping its vehicles that are older than 15 years and sought their details and registration numbers, officials said on Thursday. In a meeting earlier this month, Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar had directed all departments to scrap government vehicles that were older than 15 years. He had asked the general administration department to ensure that the process is done according to the policy of central government. "The Delhi government onboarded on the national portal for establishing registered vehicle scrapping facilities," Delhi Transport Commissioner Ashish Kundra said in a tweet. The Centre has asked states and union territories for scrapping government vehicles older than 15 years, the officials said They said all such vehicles will not be able to remain operational as their certificate of registration will expire. Different departments have been asked to furnish details of such vehicles so that the next step can be take,

Income tax 'raids': What is the difference between surveys and searches?

Not every income tax department operation is a 'raid'. Here is what the I-T Act says about 'surveys' and 'searches'

MCD passes schedule of taxes in civic budget 2023-24, says official

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi passed the "schedule of taxes" in the civic budget 2023-24 on Wednesday, a senior official said. The unprecedented move comes as Delhi is still to get a mayor, despite three attempts to hold the mayoral election. "The Corporation passed the schedule of taxes (in civic budget 2023-24) today," the official said. It was passed by the special officer of the MCD. The taxes, rates and cesses leviable in the year 2023-24 will remain the same that are prevalent as on today, the MCD said in a statement. The municipal commissioner had presented the MCD budget in December which included the revised budget estimate for 2022-23 and budget estimate for 2023-24, an official source had said. "The Corporation will pass the schedule of taxes (in civic budget 2023-24) tomorrow (Wednesday). The remaining part of the budget exercise will be carried out before March 31," a senior official had told PTI on Tuesday. "The MCD hopes that by that time the deliberative win

ED raids mobile app offices in different cities dealing in cryptocurrencies

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said that they recently carried out search operations in Delhi, Gurugram (Haryana), Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Salem (Tamil Nadu).

CBI interrogates Satyendar Jain in Tihar Jail in Delhi excise policy case

The CBI interrogated Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in Tihar Jail here in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam, his lawyer said on Wednesday. The counsel said the investigation agency had moved an application before Special Judge M K Nagpal last Friday in this regard, and the same was allowed. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) quizzed the politician on Monday following the court order, advocate Mohd Irshad said. Jain is currently lodged in Tihar jail in connection with a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He, however, is not an accused in the excise scam case. The counsel said the CBI also quizzed AAP's communication in-charge Vijay Nair, who is also lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with the excise policy-money laundering case. Nair was earlier granted bail in the excise scam. The ED, had in its supplementary charge sheet, stated that the investigation done under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) so far has revealed

Councillors to declare assets to MCD secy as mayor not elected yet: Officer

MCD councillors in Delhi will declare their assets to the municipal secretary as the new mayor of Delhi is yet to be elected and the mayoral office is not in existence yet, a senior official said on Tuesday. According to the statutory requirement under the DMC Act 1957, a councillor shall, not later than 30 days after taking oath, and before the last day of the same month in each succeeding year, file with the mayor, the declaration of the assets owned by him and his or her family members -- spouse and dependent children. "Since the mayoral election has not been held till date, the councillors are required to submit these details to the office of the municipal secretary as he is the custodian of the papers of the municipal House," the senior official said. Once the mayoral election is held and the deliberative wing is in place, the municipal secretary will hand over the papers to the mayor, he added. On February 6, the municipal House in Delhi had failed to elect a mayor for the th

Ensure adequate sanitation, cleanliness around Shahi Idgah: Delhi minister

Delhi minister Imran Hussain on Tuesday directed officials to ensure adequate sanitation facilities and cleanliness in streets around the Shahi Idgah ahead of an 'Ijtema', a religious congregation here, officials said. The food and civil supplies minister chaired an important meeting on the preparedness for the 'Ijtema' at Shahi Idgah, which is scheduled to be held from February 24-27. In this meeting, the area councillor, along with officers of various government agencies like DDMA, DUSIB, DJB, MCD, the health ministry, fire services, BSES, Delhi Police, and PWD, were also present, his office said in a statement. Hussain directed officials to ensure adequate sanitation facilities and cleanliness on roads and streets around the Idgah. He also directed the MCD to provide adequate manpower for cleaning of the streets and lanes around the Idgah during the event. "During the 'Ijtema' event, a large number of visitors, around 4-5 lakh people, are expected to attend it. For the conveni

I-T teams at BBC's Delhi, Mumbai offices for survey operation: Officials

The Income Tax Department on Tuesday conducted a survey operation at the BBC's offices in Delhi and Mumbai as part of a tax evasion investigation, officials said. The surprise action comes weeks after the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots and India. The department is looking at documents related to the business operations of the company and those related to its Indian arm, they said. As part of a survey, the Income Tax Department only covers the business premises of a company and does not raid residences and other locations of its promoters or directors.

Delhi govt pulls up DM (south) for 'inaction' in Mehrauli demolition drive

The Delhi government has pulled up the district magistrate (south) for alleged "inaction" related to the Mehrauli demolition drive and directed him again to carry out fresh demarcation in the area, officials said on Tuesday. Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot had directed the DM (south) last week to carry out fresh demarcation of "disputed" area after the affected residents alleged that the demarcation exercise was done keeping them in the dark. In an order issued by Gahlot on Tuesday, it was alleged that DM (south) neither complied with the direction for fresh demarcation nor asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to stop the ongoing demolition exercise. The copy of the order has been sent to DDA vice chairman Subhasish Panda reiterating that the demolition drive cannot be carried out without demarcation. "In the face of large scale demolition by DDA, such non-compliance by DM (South) with regard to demarcation exercise which is the basis for carrying out demolition activities,

Fire breaks out at multi-storied building in Delhi, no casualties reported

According to the fire services department, the blaze may have been caused by a twin-cylinder blast

Strong surface winds forecast, min temperature at 8.6 deg Celsius in Delhi

The mercury settled at 8.6 degrees Celsius in Delhi on Tuesday morning, two notches below normal, even as strong surface winds have been forecast for later in the day. The relative humidity was recorded at 56 per cent. Delhi on Monday recorded a minimum temperature of 8.7 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal. The national capital registered a high of 23.2 degrees Celsius, according to India Meteorological Department data. The maximum temperature on Tuesday is likely to settle at 25 degrees Celsius. The weatherman has predicted strong surface winds during the daytime. On Monday, Delhi logged a 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 135, the lowest since October 13, owing to chilly winds that dispersed pollutants as they swept through the city. On Tuesday, the AQI stood at 145 at 9 am, according to Central Pollution Control Board data.

Centre approves modifications, relaxations in housing regulation norms

Any person having a flat or a plot of land measuring less than 67 square metres in Delhi has become eligible to apply for the allotment of newly-constructed flats being offered by the DDA for the first time, the urban body said on Monday. In a statement, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has "approved modifications/relaxations" proposed by the DDA in the Housing Regulations, 1968, which were issued under section 57 of the DDA Act, 1957. However, it did not specify as to when the modifications or relaxations received the nod from the central ministry. "The objective of modifications/relaxations was to enable general public to buy DDA flats without much restrictions/hassles," the statement said. "Any person having less than 67 sqm of flat or plot in Delhi has become eligible to apply for allotment of newly-constructed flats offered by DDA for the first time. The main regulations did not allow any person to apply for allotment o

Delhi records cleanest air day since last October, average AQI of 135

Delhi on Monday logged a 24-hour average AQI of 135, the lowest since October 13 last year, owing to chilly winds that swept through the city dispersing the pollutants. The cold northwesterly winds -- blowing up to a speed of 48 kmph -- from the mountainous regions led to a drop in temperatures. The city recorded a high of 23.2 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year and a minimum temperature of 8.7 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season's average. Humidity level during the day oscillated between 25 per cent and 62 per cent. The weather department has forecast a mainly clear sky with strong surface winds and occasional gusty winds for Tuesday. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to settle around 26 degrees Celsius and 12 degrees Celsius respectively on Tuesday. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe. According to the Ministry of Earth