Page 20 - Delhi

Delhi govt moves SC to withdraw 7 cases filed during AAP rule gainst L-G

The Delhi government on Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking to withdraw seven cases filed during the previous AAP regime challenging the authority of the lieutenant governor in several bodies, including one connected to Yamuna cleaning efforts. A bench of justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh directed to list the application filed by the BJP-led Delhi government for Friday. Appearing for Delhi government, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said the application seeks the withdrawal of seven cases pending in the top court, which challenged the authority of the lieutenant governor (L-G) in several committees, including solid waste management, Yamuna cleaning, and against the validity of Acts and ordinances. "These matters should not trouble this court anymore," Bhati said. Justice Surya Kant told Bhati, We will list all these cases for Friday and take up the application." In one of the cases filed by the then-AAP government, the top court in July 2023 stayed a Natio

Watch: Delhi receives gusty winds, heavy rainfall and hailstorm | Delhi-NCR storm | IMD | Indigo

Watch: Delhi receives gusty winds, heavy rainfall and hailstorm | Delhi-NCR storm | IMD

MCD launches tax amnesty scheme SUNIYO for FY26, waives old dues, penalties

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Wednesday announced the rollout of a one-time property tax amnesty scheme for the financial year 2025-26. Under the Sumpattikar Niptaan Yojana (SUNIYO), people will be able to pay the principal amount of property tax of the current year (2025-26) and the previous five years (2020-21 onwards) in one go and all their previous dues (before 2020-21), including interest and penalty will stand waived off, the municipal corporation said. The MCD also noted that a similar one-time measure launched in 2022-23, the SAMRIDDHI scheme, also allowed full waiver of old arrears if the taxpayer paid recent dues i.e. due of five years for residential and six years for non-residential properties. The SUNIYO scheme will apply to all types of properties falling under the jurisdiction of the MCD. In his first General House meeting after taking over as Delhi Mayor, Raja Iqbal Singh on Wednesday also announced the removal of "user charges" linked to garbage ...

Why demolition drive at Delhi's Sarojini Nagar market has sparked outcry

Sarojini Nagar market vendors have complained that the NDMC's encroachment drive also targeted legal structures and came without formal notice

Delhi govt will always uphold nation's honour, prestige: CM Rekha Gupta

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday said BJP's victory in Delhi has brought a wave of happiness across the country and vowed that her government would always uphold the honour, pride and prestige of the nation. Speaking at the Samajik Samrasta Sammelan held here, Gupta said, "For us our Tiranga is everything and whenever our country needs us, we, all Indians, will unite. I promise you all that this Delhi government will always work for the honour, pride and prestige of the Tiranga and the country. We will always keep working for the people of Delhi," she said. Reflecting on the BJP's return to power in the city after a long gap, Gupta said, "The drought of 27 years has converted into heavy rain this time." "The victory of BJP in Delhi has brought a wave of happiness across the country. Whenever I meet people at jan sunvae', they say that they are happy to see a government in the national capital which is dedicated to the nation and will keep it united, she said. The event saw the

Fires break out at Delhi coaching centre, hotel; no casualties reported

Separate fire incidents were reported on Sunday at a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar and a hotel in Paschim Vihar; both were contained swiftly with no injuries

Big blow to AAP in Delhi: 13 councillors break away to form new party

Aam Aadmi Party suffers major setback in Delhi as 13 councillors, led by Mukesh Goel, resign and launch the Indraprastha Vikas Party

Noida society ravaged by storm: Shop flies off, high-rise windows collapse

Strong winds and dust swept through Noida, shattering windows, collapsing doors, and lifting a shop into the air in a viral video from JP Aman Society in Sector 151

Committed to complete pending work left behind by previous govt: Delhi CM

The BJP government in Delhi is committed to complete the pending work left behind by the previous regime in the public interest, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday. Inaugurating work for laying of water pipeline in her Shalimarbagh constituency, Gupta said that all the incompleted development work that were started during previous AAP government will be completed in a transparent manner. "Our priority is that public work should not stop. We are presently busy with clearing liabilities of the previous government like the incompleted work and pending dues," Gupta said. She said a scheme for providing grant to senior citizens associations was stopped by the AAP government, that is being revived by her government which is arranging to pay their dues. She said that in the first phase of development work in Shalimarbagh, water and sewer lines are being laid and repaired in various residential blocks and in the next phase, damaged roads and streets will be repaired and relaid.

Delhi govt to set up welfare board for gig workers, frame schemes

Delhi labour minister Kapil Mishra on Friday said the government will constitute a welfare board for gig and platform workers and frame schemes for their welfare. Mishra chaired a meeting with gig workers and representatives from major platforms and aggregators, including Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, Uber, UrbanClap, and BigBasket, said an official statement. The session provided a platform for gig workers to voice their concerns directly to the government and aggregators. They highlighted pressing issues such as long working hours, inadequate payments, and the absence of an effective grievance redressal system, which have long impacted their livelihoods, it said. "All these problems will be addressed with the cooperation of platforms and aggregators. The government will constitute a welfare board for gig and platform workers and will frame schemes for their welfare," he said. He also assured the platforms and aggregators that they will not face harassment from inspectors or any other

Our govt will bring modernisation plan for mandis: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday said that her government would bring a modernisation plan for mandis, a day after she visited the Azadpur Mandi. "There are lack of facilities in mandis across Delhi. The previous AAP government did not do anything for providing facilities to mandis. There are many labourers and traders working here but there is no cleanliness and no safety," she charged. Gupta alleged corruption in functioning of the mandis and promised to bring a modernisation plan for them. "Our government will bring a modernisation plan for mandis. We will work towards making tight arrangements for security of these mandis," she told reporters.

Delhi to conduct cloud-seeding trials with each flight lasting for 1.5 hrs

Delhi will conduct five cloud-seeding trials, each on a separate day, with flights operating for about one to one-and-a-half hours for injecting chemicals into clouds, an official said on Monday. They said the trials could be conducted in quick succession, possibly within a week, depending on weather conditions. "If suitable weather is observed, we may conduct all five trials within a week or with gaps of a day or two. The schedule will depend on cloud availability," they said. Cloud-seeding, also known as artificial rain, is a technique to induce rainfall by dispersing specific substances into clouds, which eventually leads to rain if other weather conditions are favourable. An official from the Environment Department, who requested anonymity, told PTI that the locations for the trials have not been finalised yet. IIT Kanpur, which is leading the experiment from planning to execution, will select the sites based on various scientific and logistical factors. He added that the tria

Electricity bills of Delhi consumers to be hiked by 7-10% in May-Jun period

The electricity bills of power consumers in Delhi will be hiked by 7-10 per cent in the May-June period due to revision of PPAC charged by the discoms, officials said on Sunday. The power purchase adjustment cost (PPAC) refers to rise in fuel (coal, gas) costs incurred by the generation companies which is recovered by discoms from the consumers. It is calculated as percentage of fixed charge and energy charge (units consumed) components of the electricity bill. The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) in its separate orders earlier this month allowed the three discoms to recover the PPAC of third quarter of 2024-25 in the May-June 2024 period. The PPAC allowed are 7.25 per cent for BRPL, 8.11 per cent for BYPL and 10.47 percent for TPDDL. No reaction was available from the discoms on the increase in PPAC allowed by the DERC. The United Residents of Delhi (URD), an umbrella body of residents welfare associations in the city, slammed the move as "arbitrary". "The proces

Delhi excise department targets eateries selling liquor without licence

The Delhi government has intensified action against hotels, clubs and restaurants serving liquor without necessary excise licenses, officials said on Saturday. Raids were conducted at 40 premises and over two dozen FIRs have been registered in the last few months, they said. An Excise department officer said that between January-April this year, the enforcement teams raided 40 eateries in various parts of the city that were selling liquor without excise license. The department also registered 24 FIRs in this regard. The city has around 1,000 hotels, clubs and restaurants that serve liquor without proper licenses, he said. A significant number of unlicensed premises are operating across the city without obtaining proper licenses. The raids were conducted across Delhi, including in West Delhi and North West areas, and 24 restaurants were found serving liquor without liquor license, officials said. These unauthorized operations are causing the government revenue losses as they don't

India-Pakistan tensions escalate: What's closed, who's on leave? Details

India intensifies military and civilian readiness as cross-border tensions with Pakistan escalate, prompting widespread closures, red alerts, and travel disruptions

Supreme Court upholds decision to keep DND flyway toll free for all

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to review its decision upholding that Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) flyway would remain toll free in a respite to lakhs of daily commuters. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh dismissed the plea seeking review of the December 20, 2024 verdict on a plea of Noida Toll Bridge Company Ltd (NTBCL), a private firm running the Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) flyway. The firm referred to the CAG report relied upon by the apex court and said it had some positive remarks on the company, which the order did not reflect. The bench told the company's counsel that it had "minted a lot of money". The top court, however, while referring to another plea of senior NTBCL official Pradeep Puri for deletion of personal remarks against him reportedly made in the verdict on the basis of CAG's findings, said it would reproduce the report. Puri's counsel said CAG did not make any personal comments against him and the paragraph in the verdict, as a result, could be .

Enhanced security measures in place at airports; operations normal

Delhi airport has said that operations are normal and some flights have been impacted due to changing airspace conditions and heightened security. In the wake of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has put in place enhanced security arrangements. In a post on X, DIAL said operations remain normal at the airport while some flights are impacted due to changing airspace conditions and heightened security. "Please check with your airline for the latest updates. We urge everyone to rely only on official sources and avoid sharing unverified information. We're working closely with all stakeholders to minimise any inconvenience," DIAL said. On Thursday, at least 90 flights to and from the Delhi airport were cancelled. Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport here.

JNU teachers begin month-long protest over promotions, probation delays

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA) has announced a series of peaceful demonstrations throughout May to highlight long-pending issues related to faculty promotions, confirmations and probation extensions. There was no immediate response available from the university administration. Calling the campaign a "Month of Protests," JNUTA said the move comes after repeated delays in the processing of Career Advancement Scheme promotions and confirmations. The association also flagged concerns over the extension of probation periods of some faculty members, which it described as departure from established norms. "These unresolved matters have had an adverse impact on the morale of the faculty and reflect larger procedural and governance concerns within the university," JNUTA said in a statement. The protest will begin on May 8 with a mass delegation rallying to the office of the dean of the School of Language, Literature and Cultural Studies. Similar demonstratio

Nationwide mock drills begin; Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata test crisis readiness

Sirens blared, crowds evacuated as India launched civil defence mock drills in 244 districts - Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, and more simulate real-time emergency response

Only BS-VI CNG goods vehicles to enter Delhi from Nov 2025, Centre tells SC

Only BS-VI CNG, LNG, EV goods vehicles to be allowed into Delhi from November 1, 2025; ban will not apply to vehicles registered in Delhi, Centre tells SC