Special to the Express: My 25 years with the Delhi Metro
I joined the Delhi Metro in the middle of 1998 with a lot of hesitancy as I was reluctant to leave an organisation like the Indian Railways and come to an entity which had just been formed and whose future was extremely uncertain.
The Delhi Metro sanctioned at that time consisted of three corridors, two of which were subsequently changed at the behest of the then Managing Director Dr E Sreedharan and replaced by corridors going to Rohini and Dwarka areas. The decision was taken as people would not have travelled as much to Holambi Kalan and Nangloi, as originally sanctioned, and these areas also had parallel suburban railway lines.
Initially, few believed the DMRC would succeed and the Delhi Metro would become a reality. It was common to hear it would be a white elephant where construction would go on for years.
5 cases that rocked the capital, kept Delhi Police on their toes in 2022
A murder that shocked the nation, a suicide that left investigators stunned, and an acid attack that sparked citywide outrage are among crimes that rocked the national capital this year. A look back at some of the most prominent cases, and where they stand now.
The murder of Shraddha Walkar
The gruesome murder of 27-year-old Shraddha Walkar in South Delhi’s Mehrauli kept investigators across police stations busy for weeks. Though they had caught the alleged killer Aaftab Poonawala, and got his confession, they had little else to prove his involvement – be it the body or the murder weapon.
Walkar was allegedly strangled to death and her body was chopped into 30-35 pieces, allegedly by Aaftab, her live-in partner, in May. The matter only came to light last month after Walkar’s father approached Mumbai Police with a missing persons complaint. The case was then transferred to Delhi Police as the couple were last seen in Delhi this year.
To bring down the number of unlit areas and keep a tab on the functioning of streetlights, the Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) is planning to install smart sensors and geo-tag all streetlight poles with the help of a centralised software, an official said.The main aim behind the initiative is the illumination, repair and maintenance of all streetlights across all key busy stretches, besides ensuring the safety of women and children, officials added.
A dedicated sister to five siblings and a sole breadwinner — though burdened with many responsibilities, 20-year-old Anjali Singh was like any other young woman her age. She was a fan of Punjabi songs, enjoyed making Instagram reels and loved doing make-up.
In the early hours of Sunday, as she rode her scooter home from work on a dimly lit stretch, she met a fate unlike any other 20-year-old. Anjali’s two-wheeler was hit by a Baleno that had five men in their 20s as its occupants, and her body was dragged under the vehicle for over 10 km, police said.
For her family, Anjali’s death means losing their pole star. She lost her father eight-nine years ago, and her mother suffers kidney issues. This prompted Anjali to drop out of school in Class 10, so she could financially support the family. She took up a job at a salon, and then as an usher at weddings and other such events, earning anywhere between Rs 500 and 1,000 for each attendance.
Work would often end late, and her family said she was returning home from one such event on the fateful night.
Jignasa Sinha reports
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed the Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora to submit fact finding enquiry in connection with the death of 20-year-old Anjali Singh in Kanjhawala. Special CP Shalini Singh has been asked to conduct enquiry after forming a team.
The body of the Kanjhawala victim has been shifted to Maulana Azad Medical College where a medical board will conduct the autopsy.
In the early hours of Sunday, a 20-year-old woman was killed after her scooter was hit by a car, and she was dragged by the vehicle for almost 4 km — from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala.
Sagar Preet Hooda, Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) said the police have arrested all five accused in the case. A medical board has been constituted to conduct the autopsy. Forensic Science Lab teams will again visit the spot and conduct enquiry. The accused have been sent to 3-day police custody.
"We have added sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) in the FIR. The accused will be taken to the scene of crime for inspection. The car will be examined by forensic experts," he said.
A Delhi court on Monday remanded five accused arrested for causing the death of a woman in a road accident on the new year day in police custody for three days.
The 20-year-old woman had died after her scooty was hit by a car and she was dragged for around four kilometres in outer Delhi's Sultanpuri on Sunday, police said.
A detailed order from the court is awaited. (PTI)
Deputy Speaker of Delhi Legislative Assembly Rakhi Birla's car was attacked and the protesters damaged a window outside Sultanpuri police station. Protests erupted on Monday outside Sultanpuri police station following the death of a 20-year-old woman was killed after her scooter was hit by a car, and she was dragged by the vehicle for almost 4 km — from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala.
Protestors also tore up BJP posters, saying that one of the faces in the poster is of BJP functionary Manoj Mittal who's one of the accused in the case. They tore the poster and attacked the police van.
One of the accused in the Kanjhawala hit and run case, in which a 20-year-old woman was killed as she was dragged for around four km after getting stuck in the undercarriage of a car Sunday morning, is affiliated to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The woman was killed after her scooter was hit by the car, and she was dragged by the vehicle from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala early Sunday. The police have said the five men, who were in the car, have been arrested and booked for rash driving and causing death by negligence.
According to Delhi BJP officials, Manoj Mittal, one of the accused, is a party functionary from the Sultanpuri area. “He is a small-time party functionary. He was appointed as co-convener of our local data entry cell four days ago,” said a senior BJP leader. “He is very low in the party hierarchy and is only part of a sub-division in the Mongolpuri area,” the leader added.
Posters of Mittal, describing him as the co-convener of the Mongolpuri ward, have been pasted in several places in the Sultanpuri area, including outside the Sultanpuri Police Station. Local residents demanding action against the accused tore several of these posters on Monday morning.
Abhinaya Harigovind and Jatin Anand report
Medical board constituted for post-mortem of woman who died after being dragged under a car in Delhi's Kanjhawla, police has said.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Monday sought a post mortem of the Sultanpuri accident victim to find out whether she was sexually assaulted.
It said an FIR under relevant sections must be invoked if the allegations levelled by the victim’s mother are found to be true.
A 20-year-old woman riding scooter was dragged under a car for several kilometres after allegedly being hit by it in outer Delhi’s Sultanpuri on Sunday, according to police.
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An accused in the Sultanpuri case, where a 20-year-old woman was killed after her scooter was hit by a car, and she was dragged by the vehicle for almost 4 km — from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala — has been identified as a BJP leader. The incident took place in the early hours of Sunday. Police said the body was found almost an hour later.
Addressing the media over the shocking incident in Sultanpuri, AAP’s chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said that Manoj Mittal, one of the five accused arrested in the case, is a BJP member, and accused Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and senior Delhi Police officials of deliberately concealing this information.
Rejecting a plea filed by street vendors’ associations that challenged a notification constituting Town Vending Committees (TVC) in Delhi’s municipalities, the Delhi High Court has observed that they did not have a “legal right” to membership and that the “tendency” to seek nomination through court proceedings needed to be “depreciated”.
A bench of Justices Manmohan and Saurabh Banerjee on Dec 15 rejected the plea moved by a group of NGOs or associations of street vendors which claimed that they were nominated members of various TVCs constituted by the Delhi government in September 2018 under the Street Vendors Act 2014. It was argued that the TVCs were set up for surveying and identifying street vendors within six months under the Delhi Street Vendors Rules. However, no such survey had been carried out by the TVCs.
Read more here
The BJP reacted sharply to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejrwal taking a Vipassana course recently and said he “should do some work too” and that “citizens were suffering in harsh winters” while he was taking a “leisure break”.
Announcing that he was going to be taking the Vipassana course on December 24, Kejriwal, who is known to take breaks for Vipassana sessions, and speak of its benefits, had said in a tweet: “Many hundred years ago Lord Buddha taught this knowledge. Have you done Vipassana? If not, then definitely do it once. There is a lot of mental, physical and spiritual benefit. Good luck to all!”
After his return on Sunday, he tweeted: “After seven days of Vipassana meditation, I have come out today. Meditation has always given me spiritual strength and mental peace. This time also I am returning with more energy with a resolve to serve the country.”
Hitting out at Kejriwal, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya said: “Be the Chief Minister of Delhi, take care of Delhi, that will be enough. People are suffering from pollution, clean drinking water, broken roads, dilapidated hospitals, dilapidated schools, all are waiting for you. Spent months in Gujarat elections, then went for a trip. Now do some work too. Delhi is waiting.”
Read more here
Delhi Police on Monday issued a traffic advisory for Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra which will start from the central part of the city and enter Uttar Pradesh crossing the Loni border.
According to the advisory, the Congress Yatra will resume around 10 am on Tuesday from Marghat Wale Baba, Hanuman Mandir, near Red Fort and reach Loni Border around 12 pm.
The Yatra will travel via the Iron Bridge-Shastri Park Metro Station, Old GT Road, Furniture Market, Ansari Road, Maujpur, Babarpur, Wazirabad Road, and Gokulpuri Police Station to reach the Loni roundabout.
A large number of pedestrians and vehicles are expected to join the Yatra at various points along the route, police said.
Read more here
Protests broke out outside the Sultanpuri Police Station in Outer Delhi Monday, with local residents demanding swift justice for the woman who was killed after her scooter was hit by a car, and she was dragged by the vehicle for almost 4 km from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the police station, demanding strict action against the five men who were in the car that crashed into the scooter of the woman, 20, early Sunday. According to the police, five men, who were in the car, have been arrested and booked for rash driving and causing death by negligence.
A group of women also stopped a Delhi Police car from entering the police station, shouting slogans and demanding justice for the woman and her family. (Read More)
Eighty per cent of Delhi’s bus fleet will run on electricity by 2025, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday, asserting that acquisition of e-buses will go a long way in reducing pollution in the national capital.
Sharing a roadmap for procurement of electric buses, he said the government will be buying 1,500 such buses in 2023 and by 2025, 6,380 electric buses will be procured.
“We have 300 electric buses now. Delhi has 7,379 buses plying on its roads currently which is the highest number of buses plying on the roads in the last 75 years. New buses were not purchased for many years, and we were also questioned over it,” he said at a ceremony at the Rajghat Depot to flag off 50 electric buses. (Read More)
In 2022, Delhi saw the lowest number of ‘severe’ air days since at least 2016, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
While the city recorded six days in 2022 when the Air Quality Index (AQI) was over 401 or in the ‘severe’ category, there were 24 such days in 2021 and 2019 each, 19 days in 2018, 15 days in 2020, nine ‘severe’ air days in 2017 and 25 such days in 2016.
In terms of the number of days when the AQI was in the ‘very poor’ category (from 301 to 400), Delhi recorded 65 such days in 2022 till December 30, more than 63 days in 2021 and 48 such days in 2020. (Read More)
MR Sharma, 45 Insurance Advisor: I was stuck in traffic for nearly half an hour. It took me 30 minutes to reach Ashram chowk from South Extension, usually it takes just 10 minutes. I knew that flyover will be closed but have no option.
Hari, ambulance driver: Huge traffic jams witnessed today.. Usually, traffic police clear the routes for ambulance and emergency service but due to the close of the flyover, there are heavy traffic snarls. We are taking the barapullah flyway, Kalindi Kunj to reach Saket.
At around 7 a.m today, the Dadri police in Greater Noida found the body of a woman with wounds on the arms, leg and head on the Eastern Peripheral Highway. According to DCP Greater Noida Abhishek Verma, indications are that it was caused by an accident. There are also signs of the tyres of a heavy vehicle such as a truck on the spot. Efforts are on to identify the woman.
On the case of the woman killed in Delhi after she was dragged by a vehicle from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala, AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj said: “Regular protocol on December 31 is for the police to set up check posts. On a night like this, police records show that a shop keeper told the police that a woman is stuck under a vehicle. He followed the vehicle and called the police. But the police doesn’t stop the vehicle. Then they receive a call saying a body was found and intervened. Does this not raise questions about the police?
A body is stuck and for kilometers the body was dragged. And the DCP is saying that the music in the car was so loud that the people sitting in the vehicle didn’t know."
"The L-G says that his head hangs in shame. If his head did indeed hang in shame, these police officers would have been sacked. I demand from the Centre that the L-G should be sacked," he said.
Heavy traffic jams were witnessed on Lajpat Nagar to Vinobapuri and Ashram Chowk. Road from PGDAV college to Ashram Chowk was packed.
At Ashram Chowk, roads dividing towards Faridabad-Badarpur, AIIMS/Soutu Ex, Mathura Road are packed with heavy traffic.
Nearly 3.5 lakh vehicles use this road daily. Traffic police and civil defence volunteers have been deployed in good numbers to facilitate smooth traffic flow.
Traffic is moving slow, but is smooth.
Aam Aadmi Party members will hold a protest outside the L-G house over the Kanjhawala incident today.
"The national capital has become a crime city. Our sisters and daughters in Delhi are not safe. L-G sahab, instead of taking responsibility of the law and order situation, Is busy doing politics," said MLA Durgesh Pathak.
The L-G, VK Saxena, had tweeted yesterday, "Even as every possible support/help and beyond, to the family of the victim will be ensured, I appeal to all to not resort to opportunistic scavenging. Let's work together towards a more responsible and sensitive society."
Hours after a fire at Antara Care Homes for Seniors left two elderly women dead, officials said the building has all necessary fire and safety equipment and that there are multiple entries and exit points.
The centre is owned by the Max Group and is located on the main road in Greater Kailash II E-block, which is home to several affluent businesses and residences. According to the company’s website, it started in 2010 and now has care homes in Delhi and Gurgaon and ‘senior residences’ centres in Noida and Dehradun. (Read More)
The Gautam Buddh Nagar police arrested three people Friday for their alleged involvement in a scam targeting MBBS aspirants by promising to arrange admissions, officers said.
The accused were identified as Taskeer Ahmed Khan, Hrithik Singh and Vaishali Pal. Another accused, who allegedly planned the entire operation, is currently absconding, the police added.
According to investigators, the accused set up a call centre in Noida’s Sector 63 to cheat aspirants. The modus operandi of the accused was to obtain the data of MBBS aspirants, contact them over the internet, messages or calls, and offer to arrange admission at a price of Rs 15 to 30 lakh per student. Police estimate that dozens of medical aspirants may have been cheated of crores of rupees. (Read More)
On Friday morning, several students, clad in layers of sweaters and monkey caps, sat huddled on wooden benches in their “classroom” — which is nothing more than a tin roof supported by wooden sticks offering little protection from the winter chill. These children, among 500 enrolled in classes I to XII, study at Qaumi Senior Secondary School in Old Delhi’s Sadar Bazar, which has been struggling for decades to secure land to erect a permanent building.
Originally built in 1948 in Sarai Khalil area for those who remained in India after the Partition, the Urdu-medium school was demolished in 1976 during the Emergency. The Shahi Eidgah then provided space to the management on its premises to hold classes from a semi-permanent structure. In 2018, the school got relief from the Delhi High Court, which ordered the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to allot 4,000 square metres of land nearby to construct a permanent structure. The Delhi government was also directed to start work in six months. (Read More)
Three men stole Rs 12 lakh from a warehouse of a major online shopping portal in Greater Noida’s Surajpur area early on Sunday morning.
Police said security guards at the site were asleep at the time.
DCP (Central) Ram Badan Singh, “There were two security guards, one inside and one at the main gate. Both were asleep. There were three robbers who took away the cash box containing Rs 12 lakh.” (Read More)
A scuffle broke out in a society in Greater Noida during celebrations on New Year’s Eve Saturday allegedly after an argument over selfies escalated. The incident in First Avenue Society in Greater Noida West reportedly started when some people tried to take photos with women at the celebration, said the police. They added a fight then broke out after some objected to it.
A video circulating on social media purporting to be from the event shows some individuals in a scuffle abusing each other and fighting even as others try to stop them. A large crowd of onlookers could also be seen. (Read More)
A 20-year-old woman was killed in Delhi after her scooter was hit by a car, and she was dragged by the vehicle for almost 4 km — from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala — in the early hours of Sunday. Police said the body was found almost an hour later. The victim, Anjali Singh, was an event organiser and returning from work at the time.
Big ticket infrastructure projects, the G20 summit and a clean city — several promises were made to Delhiites in 2022. Most of them will come to fruition this year. The Indian Express looks at the five things that Delhi is expecting from 2023.
Pragati Maidan Convention Centre: In 2017, the Hall of Nations and 149 other smaller buildings in Pragati Maidan were demolished to make way for the Pragati Maidan Convention Centre. The Centre, with an aggregate capacity of 11,450 people over different floors, is going to serve as the site for the G20 summit and some other meetings in the run-up to it.
The project, which also included a seamless road network with a series of tunnels and underpasses built to reduce the travelling time to the area, was supposed to be completed in 2019 but was delayed. The subsequent lockdown meant work was slow. (Read More)
After several warmer-than-usual mornings, the minimum temperature in Delhi dipped to 5.5 degrees Celsius on the first day of the year.
The morning temperature was two degrees below normal. Cold westerly winds were among the factors leading to the dip. According to IMD officials, the maximum temperature is expected to settle at around 19 degrees Celsius. A spell of dense fog followed by a cold wave is expected during the week.
On Monday, the temperature is expected to be between 6 and 19 degrees Celsius and dense fog is expected in the morning. On Tuesday, too, dense fog is likely to enshroud Delhi, with the morning temperature dipping to 5 degrees Celsius. (Read More)
Ashram Flyover, which was set to be shut for 45 days from January 1, was open on Sunday morning as traffic police and officials from the PWD were still working on the site to set in place alternate arrangements to ease vehicular movement.
On Sunday, officials were installing a traffic signal at Taimur Nagar T-point to manage traffic coming from Noida and Southeast Delhi. Workers were also engaged in levelling roads and reconstructing footpaths.
A Delhi Police traffic officer said, “Some work is still unfinished, but we will shut the flyover by January 1 night or January 2. Construction needs to be done in a way that it gets over soon. We will look into other work as well. Roads will be levelled by government officials to ensure smoother movement of traffic.” (Read More)
The air quality in the national capital is in the 'very poor' category on Monday with Air Quality Index reaching 301. Meanwhile the AQI of Gurugram stood at 353 and that of Noida at 351.
A 20-year-old woman was killed in Delhi after her scooter was hit by a car, and she was dragged by the vehicle for almost 4 km — from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala — in the early hours of Sunday. Police said the body was found almost an hour later.
Police said the woman, Anjali Singh, was an event organiser and returning from work at the time.
According to the police, there were five men in the car, who have been arrested. Following the incident, the accused allegedly removed the woman’s body from under the vehicle and fled the spot, the police said.
The five men have been identified as Deepak Khanna (26), who drives a Gramin Sewa auto; Amit Khanna (25), who works for a nationalised bank in Uttam Nagar; Krishan (27), who worked at the Spanish Culture Centre in Connaught Place; Mithun (26), a hairdresser at a salon; and, Manoj Mittal (27), a ration dealer in Sultanpuri. (Read More)
The death of 20-year-old Anjali Singh, whose body was dragged under a car for four kilometres after the vehicle hit her scooter, sparked outrage in the national capital on Sunday, with the Lieutenant-Governor, the Aam Aadmi Party and the Delhi Commission for Women reacting to the incident. At the woman’s home, her mother alleged police were not showing the family her body.
Anjali, her family said, worked part-time for an event management company for which she would have to attend weddings and other functions. She was returning home from one such event when she met with the accident.
The accused and the woman both live near Sultanpuri, though they aren’t known to each other, police said. (Read More)
A woman who got in an accident with a Baleno car was dragged almost four kilometres, as she got stuck in the wheels, in Outer Delhi’s Kanjhawala area on Sunday morning, police said. The woman’s naked body was found later. DCP (Outer Delhi) Harendra Singh told reporters that the body was found naked because she had been dragged for a long distance and her clothes were torn off as a result.A case of causing death by negligence has been lodged and police have arrested five men. Read more
Traffic was thrown out of gear in several areas across the capital on New Year. According to Delhi Traffic Police, major snarls were seen at Rajouri Garden-Ring Road stretch due to construction of an elevated road and at India Gate due to a protest by the Jain community against the Jharkhand government’s decision to declare Sammed Shikharji, a pilgrimage site, into a tourist spot. A Nagar kirtan procession being taken out through North, East, and West Delhi also hit traffic.
Meanwhile, 318 challans issued for drunk driving on New Year’s Eve, an increase of over 12 times compared to the previous year which saw 25 violations, officials said on Sunday. 2020 saw 19 violations for drunk driving while 2019 saw 299. Read more
Delhi Police issued over 300 challans for drunk driving in the national capital on New Year's Eve, an increase of over 12 times compared to the previous year, officials said on Sunday. According to the official data shared by police, a total of 1,329 challans were issued for committing various traffic violations.
Of the total, 318 people were fined for drunk driving, 175 for dangerous driving, 55 for driving on the wrong side, 47 for triple riding, 70 for minor driving, and 664 for driving without a helmet, while 53 vehicles were impounded on the spot, it said. (PTI)
A first-ever health clinic for sex workers and their families has been opened in Delhi's red-light area, G B Road, with facilities for routine check-ups and treatment. The clinic was inaugurated on Sunday. It has been started in a part of a non-functional school by some civil society groups.
Shalini (name changed), a sex worker, said she hopes the facility will help her fight the stigma that she faces in visiting clinics in other parts of the city. "Even doctors start behaving differently when they learn we are sex workers and this clinic can help change that as it is meant just for people like us," she told PTI. NGO Sewa Bharti started this clinic in collaboration with Utkarsh Initiative to provide medical facilities to sex workers and their families. This clinic will have seven doctors. (PTI)
Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal issued a notice to Delhi Police in relation to the death of two elderly women in a fire at a Old Age Home in Greater Kailash II early Sunday. Malliwal asked the police to submit a report on the matter, which should include the registration status of the home, whether it had a fire NOC and the details of the persons responsible for the fire.
A scuffle broke out in a society in Greater Noida during celebrations on New Year’s Eve Saturday allegedly after an argument over selfies escalated. The incident in First Avenue Society in Greater Noida West reportedly started when some people tried to take photos with women at the celebration, said the police. They added a fight then broke out after some objected to it.
A video circulating on social media purporting to be from the event shows some individuals in a scuffle abusing each other and fighting even as others try to stop them. A large crowd of onlookers could also be seen.
The Gautam Buddh Nagar police said in a statement, “On 31.12.2022 at around 23:30 at Gaur City First Avenue Police Station Center Park, Bisrakh, there was a dispute between 2 parties regarding taking a selfie in the program going on on the occasion of New Year, in which 4 people were injured, for which first aid was required. Legal action is being taken.” (Read More)
The Gautam Buddh Nagar police arrested three people Friday for their alleged involvement in a scam targeting MBBS aspirants by promising to arrange admissions, officers said.
The accused were identified as Taskeer Ahmed Khan, Hrithik Singh and Vaishali Pal. Another accused, who allegedly planned the entire operation, is currently absconding, the police added. (Read More)
All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, has decided to increase the involvement of faculties in procurement and stores management functions, a move aimed at increasing transparency and reducing the burden on existing procuring authorities.
According to an office memorandum issued by director Dr M Srinivas, the move will help reduce the burden on existing procuring authorities and also enable the faculty to gain valuable administrative experience which will help them apply for positions like DMS, AMS, MS, etc. not just at AIIMS, New Delhi but also other AIIMS & government institutions.
As per the directions, all heads of departments will ensure that at least one faculty from the department is given the additional responsibility of department stores and another faculty from the department is given the additional responsibility of department procurement. (Read More)
After several warmer-than-usual mornings, the minimum temperature in Delhi dipped to 5.5 degrees Celsius on the first day of the year.
The morning temperature was two degrees below normal. Cold westerly winds were among the factors leading to the dip. According to IMD officials, the maximum temperature is expected to settle at around 19 degrees Celsius. A spell of dense fog followed by a cold wave is expected during the week.
On Monday, the temperature is expected to be between 6 and 19 degrees Celsius and dense fog is expected in the morning. On Tuesday, too, dense fog is likely to enshroud Delhi, with the morning temperature dipping to 5 degrees Celsius. (Read More)
The minimum temperature in the national capital on Sunday dipped to 5.5 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season's average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The minimum temperature in the city was recorded at 10.7 and 10.2 degrees Celsius on Friday and Saturday.
A drop in visibility too was recorded in several parts of the country.
Visibility in Ambala, Dehradun, Bareilly, and Varanasi was recorded at 25 metres at 5.30 am. While in Chandigarh, Patiala, Baharaich, Gaya, Purnea, Kailashahar, and Agartala, it was recorded at 50 metres, officials said.
The weatherman predicted a mainly clear sky on Sunday, with the maximum temperature likely to settle around 19 degrees Celsius. (PTI)
A fire broke out at an old-age home in South Delhi’s Greater Kailash II Sunday morning killing two inmates, said the police. Thirteen people were rescued, they added.
A PCR call about the fire was made around 5.30 am and the fire tenders were sent to douse it, said the police.
Chandan Chowdhary, DCP (South) said, “The fire was at ‘Antara Care Homes for Seniors’. All staff of the police station reached the spot and tried to control the fire at the third floor of the care centre. Five fire tenders and a CAT ambulance reached the spot. One senior citizen has been shifted to Max Hospital, Saket, through PCR and 12 seniors have been shifted to a hospital in Okhla.” (Read More)
A day after 40-year-old gym owner Mahendra Agrawal was shot dead by unidentified assailants in East Delhi’s Preet Vihar, his family was in shock and said he had no rivals.
“We were all at home when someone said mama has been shot dead. I was shocked. He was a loving family man. How can someone brutally kill him? The accused definitely knew their way around. There are more than 40 staffers at the gym, they all leave around 7-7.30 pm. The shooters came after that to target my uncle. There were only 7-8 people at that time, they told us that two of the accused came in and threatened them with weapons. They then entered mama’s office and killed him,” said LK Agrawal, Agrawal’s nephew. (Read More)
For Haryana Roadways bus driver Susheel Kumar (42) and conductor Paramjit Singh Nain (30), who pulled cricketer Rishabh Pant from the wreckage of his car near Roorkee on Friday morning, it was a sense of duty that compelled them to rush toward a burning vehicle.
Both hail from Haryana’s Karnal district — Susheel is from Ballah village and Paramjit from Golli village, just 10 minutes away. The overnight routes they take are usually to Uttarakhand, Punjab, Himachal and Jammu & Kashmir. (Read More)
Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Vinai Kumar Saxena and Justice Adarsh Goel, chairman of the National Green Tribunal, undertook a joint inspection of the Najafgarh drain Saturday to take stock of the cleaning and rejuvenation efforts.
Saxena and Justice Goel, along with the chief secretary and senior officials, also took a boat ride from Bharat Nagar (Ashok Vihar) to Timarpur along the drain and took stock of the cleaning operations.
After the inspection, Justice Goel appreciated the efforts being undertaken and expressed hope that it would fetch desirable results in terms of reducing pollution in the Yamuna, as also the revival of the Sahibi River, where the drain once was. (Read More)