Page 48 - Delhi

Statsguru: Monsoon boosts Delhi's air quality, pollution challenges remain

Some regions in the northwest and eastern belts of India have had scant or deficient rainfall this season

Teamwork with stakeholders key to solving Delhi's pollution woes: Gopal Rai

The problem of pollution in Delhi can only be solved through teamwork, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Sunday as he urged the Centre to give permission for artificial rain during winter, when air quality levels in the city plummet. Addressing a press conference, Rai said though the Delhi government has taken several steps to address the problem, pollution levels in and around the national capital spike in November. "An emergency situation arises in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The Kejriwal government is working to reduce the pollution levels. Ever since our government came to power, the pollution levels have declined," he said. But November witnesses a spike in pollution levels, he said. "Last year, IIT-Kanpur submitted a proposal that artificial rain or a cloud seeding experiment could be done in Delhi. They said that financial management and security permissions were needed. Last year, there was very little time so permissions could not come through. "We held

Delhi LG directs officials for 'complete makeover' of Kashmere Gate ISBT

Delhi LG VK Saxena on Saturday inspected Kashmere Gate inter-state bus terminal (ISBT) and directed the officials for its "complete makeover" and to reduce massive congestion in the area. Saxena also walked down the Rani Jhansi Road asking officials to remove encroachment and improve the "pathetic" condition of footpaths and central verses, a statement from the LG office said. The LG, during the inspection, was confronted with massive congestion outside ISBT due to the unduly high turnaround time of inter-state buses to and from the bus bays inside the terminal, ranging from 45 minutes to one hour. He was informed that the minimum turnaround time for an inter-state bus was 45-60 minutes, which led to spilling over of buses onto the adjoining roads outside the ISBT, leading to traffic snarls. "Saxena directed the Transport Commissioner and DTC to reduce the turnaround time for inter-state buses to 30 minutes which will increase the circulation of buses by over 50 per cent," the ...

Centre appoints senior IAS officer Dharmendra as Delhi chief secretary

The Centre on Saturday appointed senior IAS officer Dharmendra as the new Delhi government chief secretary. Dharmendra, a 1989-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the AGMUT cadre, was Arunachal Pradesh chief secretary before being transferred to Delhi. He is among the senior-most Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre officers and is taking charge as the Delhi chief secretary ahead of the assembly polls due in February. "With the approval of the competent authority, Dharmendra, IAS (AGMUT 1989), is hereby transferred from Arunachal Pradesh to Delhi and posted as chief secretary, GNCTD, wef 01.09.2024 or with effect from the date of joining, whichever is later," according to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs order issued on Saturday. Incumbent Naresh Kumar, a 1987-batch officer, who was given two extensions in the past, completes his tenure on August 31. Dharmendra's appointment came on the day his predecessor's three-month extended tenure

Delhi's Okhla demolition: Residents say not enough time given to move out

A demolition drive was carried out on Friday by authorities in southeast Delhi's Okhla Phase-2 JJ cluster under heavy security arrangements, officials said. Residents alleged that they have been living here for many years and that they were not given enough time to take out their belongings. Dheeraj, a resident of the area, said that they received a notice regarding the demolition two days ago. "They came here with their bulldozer around 10 am. They did not give us time to take our belongings from our homes. Around 50 shanties are being razed here. We have been living in the area for past many years," he said. Anil Kumar, another resident, said, "Several families were living here for last 40 years. We have nowhere to go. We did not get time to arrange an alternate place where can we shift our stuff." According to police, adequate security personnel have been provided to maintain law and order situation in the area during the demolition, which is still underway.

Naxal recruitment case: NIA conducts raids in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana & UP

NIA investigations have revealed that several frontal organisations and student wings have been tasked with motivating and recruiting cadres

NBCC sells commercial properties worth Rs 14,800 cr in Delhi on govt behalf

State-owned NBCC (India) Ltd on Thursday said it has completed the sale of commercial properties worth around Rs 14,800 crore in the national capital on behalf of the government. In a regulatory filing, the company said it has completely sold office space inventory at World Trade Center (WTC) project in Nauroji Nagar. It has also sold 100 per cent retail and commercial space at Downtown Sarojini Nagar. On behalf of the government, NBCC is re-developing Nauroji Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, and Netaji Nagar, while CPWD is executing the other four colonies -- Kasturba Nagar, Thyagraj Nagar, Srinivaspuri, and Mohammadpur. The funds for the redevelopment of these seven colonies is being generated by NBCC through the sale of commercial space at Nauroji Nagar and Sarojini Nagar. Elaborating more, NBCC said in the WTC project at Nauroji Nagar, it has sold a total unsold inventory 1.81 lakh sq ft of commercial space for Rs 908.48 crore during the 27th e-auction. Of the total area sold, about 1.2

NDMC to provide free tea, snacks to field workers across departments

In a first, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has decided to provide free tea and snacks to its field staff across various departments. This initiative is aimed at supporting over 5,000 employees, including sweepers, gardeners, 'beldars' (groundsmen) and linemen from the electricity department among others, an official told PTI. The official added the decision is on the same lines as practiced in the police and paramilitary forces where the personnel working during the odd hours receive free refreshments. "Our field workers, like sweepers, start their duties as early as 4 am to ensure that streets are clean before the traffic begins. At that time, finding food or tea is challenging, so this is a commendable step," the official said. According to the official, this initiative makes the NDMC the first municipal body in India to implement such a program and the provision of free tea and snacks is a gesture of appreciation and support for the dedication of these workers, who often

Delhi faces severe waterlogging amid heavy rains, IMD issues yellow alert

Delhi experienced heavy rainfall on Thursday morning, leading to significant waterlogging in various areas of the national capital and impacting traffic

Delhi witnesses highest number of rainy days in last 14 years this August

With rainfall on 23 days, Delhi saw the highest number of rainy days in the last 14 years this August, officials said on Tuesday. The previous highest was 22 rainy days in 2012, followed by 20 days in 2011, according to data from the weather department. A "rainy day" is when the city receives more than 2.4 mm of rainfall. Additionally, August this year is also one of the wettest months for the national capital, with the city recording 291.6 mm of rainfall so far -- the highest in the last decade, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Delhi received 291.6 mm of rainfall till August 27, surpassing the previous high recorded in August 2014, according to data from the IMD. Parts of the city were lashed by rain on Tuesday afternoon, with the maximum temperature settling at 34.2 degrees Celsius, which is normal for this time of year, according to the weather department. According to the IMD, the humidity level stood at 79 per cent at 5.30 pm. The Met department has issued a

Delhi health minister highlights doctors shortage, slams L-G for inaction

Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj on Tuesday said there is a shortage of nearly 30 per cent of doctors and specialists at many hospitals, but no efforts have been made to fill these critical vacancies despite repeated requests to the lieutenant governor. He said excuses such as the unavailability of the chief minister and the lack of an NCCSA meeting, are being cited by the LG's office to delay appointment for these positions. Bharadwaj's statement came during a press meet here where he also discussed the series of measures taken by Delhi government to combat the spread of dengue. "We have requested that warnings and awareness announcements be made across all metro stations, bus stations and other public transport hubs to inform people about dengue prevention," the minister said. Emphasising that it is very important that all government hospitals in the city are fully equipped to handle dengue cases, Bhardwaj said he directed several actions to the health secretary but was uns

Delhi sees decline in birth rate post-Covid, from 18.35 to 14.85 per 1,000

Delhi saw a decline in birth rate after the COVID-19 pandemic as it reduced from 18.35 per 1000 population to 14.85 in 2020, according to the latest report of the government. The 'Annual Report on Registration of Births and Deaths in Delhi-2023' also said that out of 13,919 non-institutional births, 7,216 (51.84 per cent) were females. Out of 3,01,168 institutional births, 1,94,428 (64.56 per cent) births occurred in government hospitals. Out of the total institutional births, 1,43,891 (47.78 per cent) were females, according to the report. The report said one of the important indicators that emerge out of Civil Registration System is birth rate which, during the period between 2005 to 2019, is hovering between 18-22 per 1000 population. However, after Covid-19, the birth rate ranges between 13-15 per 1000 population from 2020-2023. The report, however, did not cite the reason for the decline in figures. In 2019, the birth rate stood at 18.35 per 1000 population while it declined

Proposed construction of Kedarnath temple's replica in Delhi dropped

The proposed construction of a replica of Kedarnath in Delhi which had created a controversy recently has been withdrawn. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had attended the foundation stone laying ceremony of the temple in Burari. "We decided not to construct the temple as some people from Uttarakhand objected to it and we realised that it would hurt religious sentiments," Suman Mittal, president of the Kedarnath Dham Delhi Trust, which was to build the temple in Burari, said in a press release. "We are constructing no temple with that name now," she said. The Trust has also stopped accepting online donations for the construction of the temple through a QR code, she said. The priests of the Himalayan temple located in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district had opposed its construction saying it was one of the 12 'Jyotirlingas' in the country and replicating it anywhere else meant showing disrespect to the centuries old temple. The opposition Congress had taken out a marc

Delhi-based Proptech startup HouseEazy raises $7 mn in Series-A funding

HouseEazy said that the funds collected will be used to drive growth in new NCR (National Capital Region) geographies, expand its footprint, enhance products, and support team expansion

Mumbai ranks 2nd, Delhi 3rd globally in annual housing price rise

Mumbai and Delhi are at the second and third positions, respectively, among 44 cities globally in annual price rise of prime residential properties during the June quarter, Knight Frank said in a report. The annual price growth across the 44 cities globally slowed to 2.6 per cent in the second quarter of the 2024 calendar year, from 4.1 per cent in the preceding quarter, real estate consultant Knight Frank report said. Manila ranked first with a 26 per cent annual rise during the quarter. Mumbai, with an annual price rise of 13 per cent in prime residences, ranked second, up from its 6th rank in the year-ago period. New Delhi, which recorded a rise of 10.6 per cent year-on-year in prime residential property prices, made a stupendous jump in rankings from 26th a year earlier to third during the quarter under review. Bengaluru saw a 3.7 per cent increase in annual price rise. Its ranking remained same at 15th. "Being the largest residential markets of the country, the strong price

Auto, taxi drivers call 2-day strike in Delhi against app-based cab cos

The strike, which began on Thursday, has caused inconvenience to commuters, with many drivers refusing to accept rides

Delhi Congress protests at Jantar Mantar for SEBI chief's resignation

Leaders and workers of the Congress' Delhi unit staged a demonstration here on Thursday demanding SEBI chief Madhabi Buch's resignation from her post and the constitution of a joint parliamentary committee to probe the Adani issue. The protest at the Jantar Mantar was attended by Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav, senior leader Sachin Pilot, Kanhaiya Kumar and Udit Raj, among others. The Congress wants an impartial investigation into the matter, Pilot said. The opposition party has stepped up its attack on the government after Hindenburg Research launched a fresh broadside against market regulator SEBI chairperson Madhabi Buch, claiming she and her husband had stakes in obscure offshore funds used in the alleged Adani money siphoning scandal. Buch and her husband have denied the allegations levelled against them as baseless and asserted that their finances are an open book. The Adani Group has also termed Hindenburg Research's latest allegations as malicious and manipulative of

Bangladesh turmoil leads to fish shortage, high prices in Delhi's CR Park

Exports from Bangladesh were suspended in light of the crisis, which started as student protests against the nation's quota system and led to the ouster of now-ex Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Doctors in Delhi hospital claim assault by patient's husband, accused held

A 56-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting doctors and misbehaving with nursing staff at the Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital in Northeast Delhi, officials said on Thursday. Israr (56), who runs a spare parts shop, had taken his wife to the hospital for treatment on Wednesday night when he allegedly assaulted doctors, they said. As the accused threatened the doctors and abused them, hospital staffers recorded it on their mobile phones. According to the FIR, the accused's wife was given medication by the doctor on duty based on her complaints but her husband refused those and instead suggested his own mode of treatment, a police official said. Dr Rajneesh, a junior resident at the hospital told PTI Videos that when the hospital staffers ignored the man's suggestions, he became violent and started misbehaving with the doctors. "We tried to pacify him but he started abusing us and assaulted some of us. He also misbehaved with our nursing staff," the doctor said. The FI

Delhi-NCR reels under heavy rain, severe waterlogging sparks traffic chaos

Tuesday's heavy rainfall in Delhi-NCR provided much-needed relief from the heat, though it also led to extensive waterlogging and significant traffic disruptions