Page 22 - Delhi

Delhi-Jaipur in 3 hours? Bandikui expressway opens for toll-free trial

The Bandikui-Jaipur link expressway trial run is now live and toll-free for 10 days, promising to cut Delhi-Jaipur travel time to just 2.5-3 hours once operational

'Stop endless retrofitting': Ex-Delhi chief secy urges urban planning reset

Former Delhi Chief Secretary Shailaja Chandra urged CM Rekha Gupta to show courage, end vote-bank politics, and prioritise long-term urban planning over short-term populist measures

Sisodia slams BJP over fuel ban on overage vehicles, questions motive

Senior AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday accused the BJP-led Delhi government of waging another "assault on the middle class" through its recent order banning refuelling of overage vehicles in the capital. Sisodia's statement comes amid the BJP government defending the move and calling it a necessary step in its ongoing pollution control efforts. "The BJP government has issued a tyrannical order to remove 61 lakh vehicles from Delhi's roads. This is not governance; this is 'Phulera ki Panchayat'. Families who've maintained their vehicles with care are now being punished. Even those vehicles that have travelled less than 10,000 km are being deemed unfit," Sisodia said in a press conference here. Effective July 1, petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years were prohibited from refuelling in Delhi. The order was part of an intensified crackdown on End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) and is backed by automated ...

'Single most stupid rule': Delhi's fuel ban on old vehicles faces flak

Delhi's fuel ban on older vehicles sparked confusion and criticism as citizens compare it to Nordic policies lacking local infrastructure support

80 vehicles impounded as fuel ban on overage vehicles begins in Delhi

Amid high surveillance, tight security and multi-agency coordination, the fuel ban on overage vehicles kicked in Delhi on Tuesday with 80 such vehicles being impounded, officials said. Petrol pumps across Delhi have been asked not to provide fuel to end-of-life (EoL) vehicles starting Tuesday under the directions of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), with the Transport Department along with the Delhi Police and traffic personnel putting in place a detailed enforcement strategy to ensure strict compliance. According to an official from the Transport Department, 98 vehicles were captured on camera, out of which 80 were impounded -- 45 by the Transport Department, 34 by the Delhi Police and one by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Petrol pumps either did not receive overage vehicles or they shared that there was not much of an issue on the first day. The Transport Department has chalked out a detailed deployment plan involving personnel from its organisation, Del

Delhi 2020 riots: High Court to hear Sharjeel Imam's bail plea on July 9

The Delhi High Court would on July 9 hear the bail plea of activist Sharjeel Imam in a February 2020 riots case. A bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Shalinder Kaur was scheduled to hear the plea on Tuesday, but it adjourned the matter after the prosecution sought time. The accused's counsel had previously informed the court that Imam was "completely disconnected" with the place, time and co-accused persons, including Umar Khalid. His speeches and WhatsApp chats never called for any unrest, he had argued. The bail plea claimed that the accused was not even in the capital post January 15, 2020 and was arrested by the police from his hometown in Bihar on January 28, 2020 in a separate case. As a result, Imam did not part take in any of the "conspiratorial" meetings with others, it claimed. Khalid, Imam and several others were booked under stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and IPC provisions for allegedly being the "masterminds" of the February 2020 riots, which

Kejriwal warns BJP govt in Delhi may fall if slum demolitions continue

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday warned that the Rekha Gupta-led BJP government in Delhi would not last even three years if slum demolitions continue, as he called for a mass movement against the drive from Jantar Mantar. The AAP organised a massive protest at the site under the banner of the 'Ghar-Rozgaar Bachao' movement. Senior party leader Gopal Rai challenged that if demolitions continue, people will take over the Prime Minister's residence. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva claimed that the AAP-organised rally "completely failed." "The announcement of an attack on the Prime Minister's residence has once again revealed the dark, Naxalite-like faces of Kejriwal and Gopal Rai and they should understand that there is no place for their words in civil society," he added. Addressing a gathering of people, many of whom have lived under the threat of eviction for the past five months, Kejriwal alleged that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks of 'Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makaa

Air India Tokyo-Delhi flight diverted to Kolkata over cabin heat issue

According to an official statement from the airline, the flight landed safely and is currently being inspected

Delhi to impound old vehicles at fuel stations starting July 1: CAQM

End-of-life vehicles detected at fuel stations or found parked at public places will be impounded and a penalty of Rs 10,000 imposed on four-wheeler owners and Rs 5,000 on two-wheeler owners starting July 1, officials said on Friday. EOL vehicles are diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. Irrespective of the states they are registered in, they will not be given fuel in Delhi starting July 1, according to directions issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) earlier. Around 500 fuel stations in Delhi have installed Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to detect EOL vehicles. "When a vehicle enters a fuel station, a special (ANPR) camera will read its number plate. This number will be instantly checked with the central VAHAN database, which will show details like the vehicle's age, fuel type and registration. If the vehicle is found to be EOL, it will be flagged as an EOL vehicle. The system will alert the fuel station

Delhi-Mumbai Expressway: Know travel time, route, project completion date

The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will cut travel time between the two cities from 24 to 12 hours. At 1,380 km, it spans 6 states and features Asia's first wildlife overpasses

ED raids in Delhi-NCR, Punjab in ₹988 crore bank loan 'fraud' case

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted searches at multiple premises in Delhi-NCR and Punjab as part of a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged Rs 988 crore bank loan fraud case, official sources said. The action is being undertaken against the promoters of a company, Shilpi Cables Technologies Ltd (SCTL), and some linked entities. Nine premises in Delhi-NCR and one in Jalandhar were part of the searches being conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR alleging cheating a consortium of banks led by the IDBI Bank to the tune of Rs 988 crore by the promoters of SCTL and their associates, they said. The ED suspects that a large portion of the money (loan) availed from the banks using LsC (Letters of Credit) were transferred abroad through "fake" transactions. The role of the company managing director (MD) Manish Goel is under the scanner of the agency, as per the sources.

Traders, business associations hail scrapping of police licensing approvals

Traders and business associations in the national capital have welcomed the decision to abolish the requirement of a Delhi Police license for several commercial categories. They termed the move a step towards reducing bureaucratic red tape and easing business operations in the city. Sanjeev Mehra, president of the Khan Market Traders' Association, said the decision would provide partial relief to business owners but stressed the need for further streamlining. "It would be more effective if the government implements a single-window clearance system involving nodal officers from departments like Fire, Police, and others," he said. Paramjeet Singh Pamma, chairperson of the Sadar Bazaar Traders' Association, said the step was essential and long overdue. He added that the move would not only ease the licensing process for traders but also make it simpler to conduct business in the city. Brijesh Goyal, chairman of the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI), said the decision would reduce .

One killed in massive fire at banquet hall near west Delhi's DLF Moti Nagar

A man died in a massive fire, which broke out at a banquet hall near west Delhi's DLF Moti Nagar area, an official on Tuesday said. The deceased, identified as Rajesh, is a carpenter by profession, he said. Two people were initially trapped in the fire that broke out at 8.47 pm on Monday. While one managed to escape, Rajesh got trapped in the fire. "Prima facie, Rajesh died due to suffocation. However, the exact cause of death will be ascertained after post-mortem," a senior police officer said. Initially, 18 fire tenders were rushed to the spot with six more dispatched later on. "We received a call regarding a fire at 8.47 pm at Golden Banquet Hall opposite DLF Moti Nagar. A total of 24 fire tenders were rushed to the site," a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said. The visuals from the scene show thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the night sky as flames engulfed large portions of the Golden Banquet Hall.

Air India Express flight returns to Delhi over suspected GPS issue

An Air India Express flight from Delhi to Srinagar via Jammu returned to its origin airport before landing here on Monday afternoon, officials said. A spokesman of the airline said the flight returned to Delhi as a precautionary measure following a suspected GPS interference and an alternative aircraft was later provided to the passengers to reach their destination. The officials said that the flight IX-2564 was supposed to land in Jammu around noon before leaving for Srinagar, but it hovered over the Jammu airport for sometime before its pilot decided to return to Delhi without landing. The weather and the runway were clear, but it seems the pilot could not find an appropriate landing area, they said. Our DelhiJammu flight returned to Delhi as a precautionary measure following a suspected GPS interference incident. Subsequently, an alternative flight was organised to connect guests to Jammu, said an Air India Express spokesperson. We regret the inconvenience caused. Instances of

Bringing busking to India: Buskr Booth rocks Delhi-National Capital Region

Curated performances timed with World Music Day held in public spaces in Delhi, Gurugram and Noida

IMD issues yellow alert for rain and thunderstorm in Delhi on Monday

A 'yellow' alert has been issued for light to moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm and gusty winds at speeds of 30 to 40 kilometres per hour in Delhi, the weather department said. The national capital recorded a maximum temperature of 36.2 degrees Celsius, 1.3 notches below the seasonal average, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The minimum temperature settled at 28.4 degrees Celsius, while the relative humidity stood at 78 per cent at 5.30 pm. The city received 0.1 mm of light rainfall accompanied with wind on Saturday. According to the weather department, the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 34 degrees Celsius while the minimum is expected to settle at 27 degrees Celsius. Delhi's air quality was recorded in the "satisfactory" category at 4 pm on Sunday , with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 98, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed. According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 ...

Rs 8,000 crore plan in works to clean Yamuna, fix drainage: Delhi CM

The Delhi government is currently working on more than 300 projects, allocated an outlay of Rs 8,000 crore, to clean Yamuna River and solve the city's sewage woes, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Friday. Gupta held a meeting with Water Minister Parvesh Verma and top Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials to review the work underway to fix the drainage and sewer system in the city. "The Delhi government is implementing a multi-pronged and phased plan for Yamuna rejuvenation, which includes drain treatment, sewerage network expansion and setting up of modern Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs)," the chief minister said in a statement. In the meeting, according to the statement, she reviewed a 45-point action plan, which included capacity enhancement and upgradation work at existing STPs located in Yamuna Vihar, Okhla, Keshopur, Vasant Kunj, Ghitorni, Mehrauli, and Molarbandh under the AMRUT 2.0 scheme and one each in Nilothi and Pappan Kalan. Gupta directed officials to replace old pipelines

Operation Sindhu: 290 Indian students return from Iran, land in Delhi

A flight from Mashhad, Iran, carrying 290 Indian students, mostly from Jammu and Kashmir, landed at the Delhi Airport late Friday. The Indian government has launched Operation Sindhu to evacuate its nationals from the Middle Eastern country as hostilities escalate between Israel and Iran. Two more flights are scheduled to arrive later in the night, including one from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, around 3 am, bringing home around 1,000 Indian nationals. "Heartfelt thanks to the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs, and all concerned authorities for their timely intervention and support. A great relief for families who had been anxiously awaiting their return," the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association said in a statement. In a special gesture, Iran opened its airspace to facilitate India's evacuation efforts. Students were earlier moved to Mashhad from Tehran, and the flights operated by an Iranian airline were coordinated by Indian authorities. The evacuation follows day

Delhi to soon launch hot-air balloon rides at 2 locations: Check details

The DDA plans to launch hot-air balloon rides at Yamuna Sports Complex in Surajmal Vihar and the Commonwealth Games Village near Akshardham to boost tourism and revenue generation

Explained: How a ₹3.21 crore artificial rain project could clear Delhi’s toxic air | Delhi pollution

Delhi is set to launch its first artificial rain pilot project using cloud seeding technology in collaboration with IIT-Kanpur and IMD. With pollution levels routinely breaching safe limits, this expe