The MCD in Delhi has been run by the BJP for three consecutive terms. (Representational/File)Delhi News Highlights: The Delhi civic body elections will be held on December 4 from 8 am to 5.30 pm and the results will be declared on December 7, the State Election Commission announced Friday. Candidates can start filing their nominations from November 7. Nominations will close on November 14. The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) will be imposed in Delhi from Friday itself, State Election Commissioner Vijay Dev said.
In other news, a Delhi court Friday ordered to release two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar on interim bail till November 12. Kumar furnished a personal bond in the sum of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties in the like amount. Two cops will be present with him round the clock, as per court orders.
In a slew of directives to tackle the air pollution crisis in the National Capital on Friday, the Delhi government announced that 50 per cent government employees will be directed to work-from-home and all primary schools will be shut. As the air quality plunged in north India, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar Friday said stubble burning was not a political issue, and asked state governments to work together to curb it. Tomar’s statements came hours after Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, the Chief Ministers of Delhi and Punjab respectively, addressed the crisis in the national capital region and said this was “not the time for blame game and politics”.
That the capital experienced its first good air day this year in September says a lot about the pollution levels that have been taken as par for the course by its residents. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)
Ghaziabad police Thursday issued a notice to Dasna Devi temple priest Yati Narsinghanand, directing him not to hold a planned three-day Dharam Sansad on December 17 or a preparatory meeting before the same.
According to the notice, the preparatory meeting on November 6 is not allowed nor is the Dharam Sansad on December 17, the birth anniversary of BJP MP Baikunth Lal Sharma, as no permission has been taken from the district administration for either event. Read more
Keeping in view the prevailing AQI levels of 450 (severe Category) in Delhi, all the Heads of governemnet, government aided and unaided private recognised schools of Directorate of Education have been asked to ensure the following as per a Delhi government order issued Friday evening.
i. All primary classes in Delhi will be closed till 08.11.2022 (Tuesday).
ii. No school shall conduct outdoor assembly and play activities till 08.11.2022 (Tuesday).
iii. All the activities for the students should be conducted indoors and they shall be encouraged to wear masks
Fates of parties contesting Municipal Corporation of Delhi polls will be sealed on December 4, while counting for votes cast on that day will be held on December 7, the State Election Commission (SEC) announced Friday.
The MCD comprises 250 wards, down from 272 that made up the civic body before it was unified earlier this year. Before unification, the MCD was split into three – South, North and East.
SEC Commissioner Vijay Kumar Dev said the Model Code of Conduct will come into force with immediate effect from Friday itself. Read more
A Delhi court has ordered to release two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar on interim bail till November 12.Kumar furnished a personal bond in the sum of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties in the like amount.
Two cops will be present with him round the clock, as per court orders. Read more
A Delhi court Friday held that inaction by three policemen on the 2017 Unnao rape complaint was a punishable offence and directed that charges be framed against them.
The direction came after the CBI submitted to the court that the three officers who dealt with the case, in which former Bangarmau MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was convicted, had failed in their duties.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Kumar said: “In the considered opinion of this court, there is ample material on record which prima facie discloses commission of offence punishable under section 166A (public servant disobeying law, with intent to cause injury to any person) IPC by the accused persons.” Read more
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia inaugurated an artificial turf on Friday to promote hockey in Delhi. Sisodia said the athletes and students would be able to practise at the new hockey field at the Vivekananda College in Vivek Vihar during the day as well as at night.
The turf has four high-mast flood lights and six automatic water sprinklers have also been installed. There is a separate drainage system for the field besides a modern rainwater harvesting system. A water storage tank with a capacity of 1.5 lac litres is present under the turf.
Sisodia said the Delhi government built four artificial turfs to promote hockey, adding that the new field would contribute to the cause of popularising the game among the youth. (PTI)
More than 15,500 students have been admitted across Delhi University colleges in the second round of seat allocation, Registrar Vikas Gupta said on Friday. With this, the total number of students admitted to the university so far has gone beyond 61,500. The university has 70,000 seats.
Of the 15,550 candidates admitted in the second round of seat allocation, 9,626 were upgraded from the seats allotted to them in the first list, while 3,806 admissions were done afresh.
The university has also informed the students on its website about the number of vacant seats after the first two rounds of seat allocation. The university will offer a window from November 5 to 7 for mid-entry for fresh applicants and an option for upgrading for the candidates already admitted. (PTI)
With the national capital grappling with yet another year of intense pollution that has sent the air quality index (AQI) plummeting, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Friday that schools for primary classes would be shut from Saturday, while for secondary and senior secondary classes, outdoor activities and physical education periods would be suspended until further orders.
He also announced that his government is considering implementing the ‘odd-even’ vehicle rationing scheme.
Apart from this, the government has announced work from home for 50% of government employees and staggered timings for its departments. Read more
For the second consecutive day and the third time this week, Delhi’s air quality was in the ‘severe’ category on Friday with an AQI of 447.
The contribution of stubble burning to PM2.5 levels in Delhi was around 30% on Friday, lower than the 34% recorded on Thursday, according to an update from the SAFAR forecasting system. Data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute showed that Punjab recorded 2,437 paddy residue burning related fire events on Friday.
Higher wind speed is likely to improve the dispersion of pollutants on November 5 and 6, the SAFAR forecast said on Friday. A forecast issued by the Air Quality Early Warning System also said that the air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category from November 5 to 7.
This December 4, Delhiites will vote for cleanliness, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said hours after the MCD poll schedule was announced by the State Election Commission on Friday.
"In the past 15 years, the BJP has spread filth around the city and created mountains of garbage," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
Amid plummeting air quality across the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has announced ‘work from home’ for 50 per cent of government employees.
Besides, staggered timings for all departments and markets will be issued soon by the revenue department, environment minister Gopal Rai said.
The government has also decided to implement all recommendations suggested by the Central Air Quality Management (CAQM) under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) stage IV. Read more
The Delhi high court Friday dismissed an application “with cost” seeking to implead Twitter CEO Elon Musk in connection with the suspension of a user’s account by the platform.
A single judge bench of Justice Yashwant Varma dismissed the application calling it “thoroughly misconceived”.
The application states that Musk has a “very different stand on free speech” that “as long as speech does not violate the law of the country in question, the same should not be curtailed by the platform”. The application relied on Musk’s tweets to assert this point. Read more
The state election commission Friday said the model code of conduct (MCC) will be imposed in Delhi from today. An app 'Dilli Nigam chunav' has been launched ahead of the MCD elections, which will allow users to complain against MCC violations.
Restrictions will be imposed on loudspeakers from 5 am to 11 pm, the SEC added.
The Delhi civic body elections will be held on December 4, the State Election Commission announced Friday. Candidates can start filing their nominations from November 7. Nominations will close on November 14.
'More than 2,000 sector magistrates will be deployed to check field arrangements for smooth functioning of the civic polls,' SEC head Vijay Dev said.
Additionally, more than one lakh staff will be deployed.
'68 general observers and external expenditure will be deployed besides elaborate law and order, security and other arrangements,' Dev said.
'We are completely ready for civic polls in Delhi,' SEC head Vijay Dev said Friday.
'As per the statutory provisions, there are 250 wards in 68 assembly wards, of which, 42 seats are reserved for SCs. Of these, 21 seats reserved for woman,' he said. In the remaining seats, 104 have been reserved for women, Dev added.
There will be total 13665 polling stations and one station will be completed manned by women staff.
'Mock polls will start on election day....NOTA will be there and there will be provisions of photos of candidates on the ballot papers,' Dev said.
The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has arrested a 24-year-old man for his alleged involvement in the well-publicised carjacking of a Fortuner SUV on the morning of October 29 in the Delhi Cantonment area.
The arrested accused, identified as Saurabh, is a member of the Prince Tewatia gang, according to police. Read more
As the air quality plunged in north India, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar Friday said stubble burning was not a political issue, and asked state governments to work together to curb it.
Tomar’s statements came hours after Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, the Chief Ministers of Delhi and Punjab respectively, addressed the crisis in the national capital region and said this was “not the time for blame game and politics”.
“Despite the Centre providing funds and machines to states, rising stubble burning incidents is cause of concern,” Tomar said, suggesting the use of the PUSA decomposer, which has been effective in controlling stubble burning. Read more
The government has constituted a six-member committee to closely monitor the implementation of curbs and measures to control air pollution in the Capital, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said Friday.
Special task forces will also be formed to monitor pollution hotspots in the city.
The minister added that staggered timings will be released for functioning of markets and office complexes.
To curb pollution, the Delhi Government has decided to implement the recommendations suggested by CAQM. All petrol and diesel trucks,lorry and commercial vehicles except Essentials and CNG vehicles will not be allowed to enter Delhi.
--All type of construction and demolition activities such flyover, road repair etc banned in Delhi.
--Delhi government announces wfh, 50 percent staffs to work from home.... Similar advisory will be issued to private organisations
The BJP on Friday accused the Delhi government of registering “bogus” construction workers and siphoning off money meant for them for AAP’s party-related work. In a joint conference with party MP Manoj Tiwari, BJP National Spokesperson Sambit Patra said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s intent and integrity was polluted. Patra termed it the biggest corruption case in India as far as construction workers were concerned. He said three NGOs working for construction workers alleged massive corruption in their registration through proxies. Read more.
Delhi's DG Prisons Sandeep Goyal has been transferred, according to news agency ANI. He will be replaced by Sanjay Beniwal.
The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed with Rs 25,000 costs a plea seeking to implead Twitter's new owner Elon Musk as party to a petition challenging suspension of a user's account for an alleged violation of its rules.
Justice Yashwant Varma termed the application to be "thoroughly misconceived". "This application is thoroughly misconceived. It cannot possibly be disputed that a corporate entity is thoroughly represented and therefore, there was no need to file such an application. Accordingly, it is dismissed with a costs of Rs 25,000," the judge said. At the outset, the court said "even we need entertainment" and asked the counsel for the petitioner if he was serious in prosecuting the application.
To this, advocate Raghav Awasthi, appearing for the petitioner, said his instructions were to press the application. He said Musk was not only the director but also holds substantial shares in Twitter and was a necessary party in the matter. (PTI)
Slamming the AAP government on Friday, the BJP alleged that 2 lakh out of the 9 lakh construction workers registered by the Delhi government were "fake". "Here, 65000 construction workers had only one mobile number & this is how the fraud took place," said BJP National Spokesperson Sambit Patra".
Hitting out at the Arvind Kejriwal government on Friday, the BJP alleged that farm fires had spiked by 34 per cent under the AAP’s rule. Addressing a press conference, BJP leader Manoj Tiwari said that AAP National convenor and CM Kejriwal was an “enemy of Delhi”.
Addressing the pollution crisis in the National Capital, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said that the AAP government in Delhi was contemplating re-imposing the odd-even scheme.
Air pollution is a North India problem. AAP, Delhi Govt or Punjab govt are not solely responsible. Now not the time for blame game: CM Arvind Kejriwal
All primary schools have been shut in the National Capital from tomorrow onwards, CM Kejriwal announced during the press conference.
Speaking at the press conference, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal added: "Air pollution is a North India problem. AAP, Delhi Govt or Punjab govt are not solely responsible. Now not the time for blame game."
Holding a joint press conference with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann on Friday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the AAP government in Punjab was responsible for the excessive stubble burning that has led to a decline in air quality across NCR over the last few days. “Air pollution is a North India problem. AAP, Delhi Govt or Punjab govt are not solely responsible. Now not the time for blame game,” he said.
As Delhi’s air quality continues to worsen, a lawyer has approached the Supreme Court seeking urgent intervention. A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India UU Lalit, has listed the matter for urgent hearing.With air quality in the National Capital Region slipping into hazardous levels, data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) showed that the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Friday continued to remain in the “severe” category. The data showed that the quality deteriorated significantly due to strong upper level (700-1000 m) wind blowing towards Delhi from stubble-burning areas.
The State Election Commission NCT of Delhi is set to hold a press conference at 4PM today, where it is likely to announce the dates for the municipal elections. The AAP and BJP government have been locked in a fierce political battle ahead of the upcoming municipal polls.
On account of rising air pollution in Delhi NCR, classes 1 to 8 will be conducted online in Gautam Buddh Nagar district until November 8, while classes 9 to 12 and higher educational institutions have been asked to operate online wherever possible, a notification by GautamBuddha Nagar DM Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj said Thursday.
Outdoor activities at schools are also banned until further notice, the press release added.
With the second round of undergraduate admissions at Delhi University coming to an end Thursday, around 64,000 students have been admitted across programmes and colleges.
During round one of the admissions, a total of 59,100 students had been admitted. During the second round of allotments, 9,439 of these candidates were “upgraded” to college-course combinations higher on the preference list because of vacancies. In addition to this, 5,797 new candidates had completed their admissions as of 7:30 pm on Thursday.
Candidates had up till midnight to pay their fees and complete admissions. Read more
The Delhi High Court Thursday upheld the life imprisonment awarded to three persons in an unusual case in which a minor was girl gang-raped when she sought help from passersby after being raped by a relative.
The case dates back to 2011 when the minor girl was taken to a place by her relative on the pretext of giving some gift and was raped. After the incident, the girl managed to escape and some men in a car offered her help and assured her to safely drop at her house.
However, they took the girl, then a student of class 10, to a jungle and gang-raped her. A trial court had awarded life term to the three men. The three men challenged their conviction and sentence before the high court, which dismissed their appeals and upheld the trial court's judgement. (PTI)
With Delhi's air quality index (AQI) a notch short of entering the "severe plus" category, a central panel on Thursday directed authorities to ban the plying of four-wheeled diesel light motor vehicles in Delhi and adjoining NCR districts as part of anti-pollution measures under the final stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
The entry of trucks into the capital, except those carrying essential goods or those running on CNG and electricity, has also been banned. Commercial diesel vehicles (medium and heavy goods vehicles), except those carrying essentials, will also not be allowed to ply in Delhi. Delhi’s air quality deteriorated once again to hit the ‘severe’ category Thursday morning with a 24-hour average AQI of 426 at 9 am.
However, BS-VI vehicles and those used for essential and emergency services are exempted, according to an order issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management. (CAQM) The order stated that the state government may take a call on the closure of educational institutions, non-emergency commercial activities and plying of vehicles on odd-even basis.Central and state governments may decide on permitting work from home.
With the air quality in Delhi deteriorating to “severe” on Thursday, schools have adopted measures like decreasing outdoor activities for students but want to steer clear of complete closures.
At the Indian School, school authorities have given students the choice to opt out of outdoor activities and games hours and have put in place air purifying plants around classrooms. “We have not been allowing students into the school without masks because of Covid, so children have already masked up against the pollution. We have also been encouraging everyone to carpool as much as possible,” said principal Tania Joshi, adding that closing schools “is not acceptable”.
On Wednesday, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairperson Priyank Kanoongo recommended to the Delhi Chief Secretary that schools in the capital be shut down till air quality improves. Read more
The Delhi government has extended the last date to apply for power subsidy to November 15, officials said on Thursday.
The last date to submit the applications, both online and offline, for subsidy on electricity provided by the government was originally set at October 31. Over 34 lakh of around 57 lakh consumers had applied for the subsidy by that date. The Delhi government has decided to provide subsidies to only those consumers who apply for concession.
Consumers receive a full subsidy on electricity consumption up to 200 units a month. Those consuming up to 400 units receive a 50 per cent subsidy. (PTI)
The Delhi police arrested two men who were allegedly smuggling liquor from Delhi's Rohini to Bihar and recovered over 2,112 liquor bottles from their possession.
The bottles were concealed between two wooden doors.
A Delhi court, while dealing with an Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) case, has said it was unfathomable that “mere possession of Jihadi literature” or philosophy “would amount to an offence” if the material is not banned and if it is not about the execution of such philosophy for terrorist acts.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has in the case accused 11 people of aligning themselves with the banned terrorist organisation Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and “being part of various ISIS propaganda channels on different secured as well as unsecured social media applications” and “propagating the violent Jihadi ideology of the ISIS.”
The NIA has also made allegations of terror funding in this case over a transaction of Rs 60,000 between the accused. Read more
A Delhi judge on Thursday warned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to investigate the irregularities in the excise policy case in a fair manner after lawyers for Sameer Mahendru, managing director of the Indospirit group, levelled allegations of unprofessional behaviour by agency officials during the questioning of his employees.
The ED has alleged that Mahendru was one of the kingpins who defeated the policy's objectives and was involved in bribery.
Mahendru's lawyers told special judge N K Nagpal that his employees were called for questioning every day and that "half of them had resigned as the ED was "using tremendous force". The employees were asked to join the investigation early morning at short notice, they added. Read more
The Supreme Court Thursday dismissed a review petition by Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq against the death penalty awarded to him in connection with the 2000 Red Fort attack case.
Six LeT militants sneaked into Delhi’s Red Fort on December 22, 2000, and opened indiscriminate firing on the guards of the 7th Battalion of Rajputana Rifles, killing three, including a civilian. The army personnel present in the fort retaliated but the militants escaped. Read more
The Delhi High Court has disposed off a plea filed by AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj in connection with the vandalism that took place outside CM Arvind Kejriwal’s residence in March.
The court directed the city police to ensure that measures for the security of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence are implemented in view of the vandalism incident.
The Centre informed the Delhi High Court on Thursday that appropriate security arrangements have been made to ensure the safety of former Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy at his private residence in Delhi.
Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain informed the single judge bench of Justice Yashwant Varma that “security agencies are satisfied that appropriate arrangements have been made for ensuring the safety and security of Swamy, considering that he is a Z category protectee”.
Following this submission, Senior Advocate Jayant Mehta, appearing for Swamy, submitted that his client would vacate the government accommodation by Saturday under intimation to the concerned estate officer, pursuant to which the high court disposed of the matter. Read more.
The Wire's ex-reporter Devesh Kumar has come to Delhi Crime Branch office for questioning in connection with the Meta case. Police have already seized his phone and electronic devices. He will be questioned about the stories on BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya.
The Delhi HC has disposed off Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy’s plea after the Centre informed the HC that security agencies are satisfied that appropriate arrangements have been made for ensuring the safety and security of Swamy, considering that he is a Z category protectee.
Swamy’s counsel submitted that his client would vacate the government accomodation by Saturday under intimation to the estate officer concerned.
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Raaj Kumar Anand was on Thursday administered oath as a minister in the Delhi government by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena in a ceremony at Raj Niwas.
Anand took the oath in presence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar. "Administered the oath of office and secrecy to Raaj Kumar Anand as Minister in GNCTD. I convey my best wishes to him and hope that he will work for the betterment of Delhi and its People," Saxena tweeted after the oath ceremony. The Patel Nagar MLA was inducted into his Council of Ministers by Kejriwal after Rajendra Pal Gautam's resignation. PTI.
A Delhi court granted bail to a 38-year-old retired army subedar for allegedly posing as a policeman and raping a 19-year-old woman at a park in southwest Delhi.
Additional Sessions Judge Lokesh Kumar Sharma granted bail to accused Rajesh Kumar Malik who used to contractually works with the Haryana government’s sports department as a wrestling coach.
The court took note of Malik’s lawyer Ravi Drall’s arguments that the public witnesses have already been examined in this case and admitted the accused to bail on his furnishing personal bond of Rs 25,000. Malik has been directed not to visit the locality of the prosecutrix in the range of 500 metres or contact her family. Read more.
Among local sources, vehicles may have contributed the most to air pollution in Delhi over the week from October 21 to 26, according to an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
Vehicles caused half or around 51% of the national capital’s own contribution to PM2.5 levels from October 21 to 26, the analysis said. When contribution from other NCR districts and biomass burning to air pollution in Delhi is considered, vehicles contributed around 17% of the PM2.5 concentration.
The daily share of vehicular emissions ranged from around 49.3% to 53% over the week. This was followed by residential sources at 13%, industrial sources at 11% and construction at 7%. Read more.
Bouncers outside a club in Gurgaon thrashed a forest department employee and his two friends Monday night and caused blunt injuries, said the police Thursday.
The police said the complainant, a range officer of the forest department, said he went to the club in a mall on the MG Road along with his friends and one of them forgot his phone in the club. He went inside to get it while others waited outside, according to the complainant.
“My friends and I were sitting on the third floor of the mall and talking amongst ourselves when an unknown person, claiming to be from the staff of a club, confronted us. He started arguing with us. Soon, some men, along with bouncers from another club, arrived and started beating and kicking us. My friends and I suffered injuries…the bouncers threatened to kill us,” he said in the first information report (FIR) registered at the Sector 29 police station. Read more.
Around 100 nurses from various Delhi government-run hospitals Wednesday morning began a “symbolic strike” to present their demands, including regularisation of service and long-due promotions. The Delhi Nurses Federation (DNF) said it would continue with the strike Thursday and Friday as well, from 9 am to 11 am.
The strike briefly affected hospitals where the workload of non-striking nurses went up. However, emergency and intensive care unit services did not suffer as nominal staff worked to render these two services, DNF secretary general Liladhar Ramchandani said.
Outpatient department (OPD) services and wards have been impacted due to the nursing staff strike, he said. “We apologise for the inconvenience and difficulty that patients will have to face during the strike,” he added. Read more.
Delhi’s air quality deteriorated once again to hit the ‘severe’ category Thursday morning with a 24-hour average AQI of 426 at 9 am. The worst air quality in the city was at Jahangirpuri and Anand Vihar where the monitoring stations recorded a 24-hour average AQI of 460, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The prominent pollutant at Jahangirpuri was PM2.5, while PM10 was found to be the most prominent pollutant at Anand Vihar. Air Quality Index between 401 and 500 is considered to be ‘severe’. According to the CPCB, AQI in the ‘severe’ category “affects healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases”. Read more.
As air quality worsened across Delhi and NCR, measures to control the situation in Noida were discussed during a meeting of the Noida Authority and Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) Wednesday. Officials of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board and the local administration also attended the meeting.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Noida on Thursday morning was at 388, or the ‘very poor’ category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Read more.