As air quality plummets, ‘work from home’ announced for 50% Delhi govt staff
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.
‘How many kids have air purifiers at home?’: On school closure, not everyone is on board
The yearly closure of schools citing air pollution and the two-year-long pandemic-induced school closures have left several stakeholders — parents and school administrators alike — grumbling about Friday’s announcement on closing schools until November 8 (Tuesday).
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday announced that schools in Delhi will shut for primary classes, up to class V, from Saturday. Schools will remain open for secondary and senior secondary classes but outdoor activities and PE periods will be disallowed for them till Tuesday.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai to take a call on reopening schools and orders to work from home in a meeting at the Delhi secretariat on Monday afternoon.
This week, due to worsening air quality, the Delhi government had ordered closure of schools and work from home for government employees.
monthly limit of free stories.
with an Express account.
This is a story about how civic action, political will and fighting a common enemy, won a public space for the people of Delhi. Not so long ago, the DDA District Park and forest land adjoining the Basant Lok Market lay in decrepit wilderness, from open nallahs and a dilapidated Tughlak-era monument to becoming a crime hotspot with murder and drug-peddling cases making headlines. Today, the 43 acres have been transformed to become a public park that has close to 2,000 users a day. Visitors, young and old, have made the space their own. If in a corner one sees children from the nearby slum playing cricket, there are tik-tok-ers making videos, senior citizens out for a stroll, friends catching up and employees from nearby shops taking a work break.
But this renewal did not happen in a day. Telling this story is a book, “The Garden of Pride: Project Vasant Udyaan”, published by Citizen Action for Water Sustainability, which was released at the India International Centre on November 1.
It all began in 2015-16, when a group of concerned residents of Munirka Enclave stepped out of their comfort zone to reclaim their neighbourhood. The park, which was riddled with multiple issues, from encroachment and security concerns to lack of toilets for the slum cluster nearby and raw sewage, which made the air toxic, was a space waiting to be reclaimed. Shiny Varghese reports
In December last year, a month when the national capital recorded seven ‘severe’ air quality days, PM 2.5 levels at a distance of 100 metres from the smog tower at Delhi’s Anand Vihar fell by around 13 per cent.
On November 3, when the air quality was in the ‘severe’ category, the PM 2.5 level peaked at 650 µg/m3 at 4 am at Anand Vihar, according to data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). A 13 per cent reduction due to the smog tower — at 100 metres from the tower like in December last year — would mean that the PM 2.5 level fell to 565 µg/m3, which would still put the air quality in the severe category and at a little over nine times the 24-hour standard of 60 µg/m3 for PM 2.5.
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), obtained by The Indian Express under a Right to Information request filed in October, shows that the reduction in PM 2.5 levels at a distance of 100 metres from the Anand Vihar smog tower ranged from 7 per cent in March to 17 per cent in April this year. At 150 metres from the tower, the reduction in PM 2.5 levels was 8 per cent in April, while the PM 10 level saw a reduction of 5 per cent at the same distance from the tower in May. Abhinaya Harigovind reports
The worsening air quality across Delhi-NCR is affecting children too, with doctors saying cases of asthma and respiratory issues among the young have doubled as compared to last month.
According to Dr Ajay Kumar, professor of the paediatric chest clinic at Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, cases of asthma exacerbation have increased in the last two weeks. read more.
Two men snatched a woman's phone outside the NKS hospital in North Delhi on Friday evening.
The woman was talking to someone over the phone when the accused came on a scooter and snatched the phone.
The woman tried chasing them but they managed to escape. No arrests were made as yet.
Delhi’s air quality improved further on Sunday morning, with the AQI at 345 at 11 am, down from the daily average of 381 on Saturday. According to the SAFAR forecast, Delhi’s AQI will improve in the coming two days, but will remain in the ‘very poor’ category. Air quality index (AQI) between 301 and 400 is considered to be ‘very poor’.
Officials attributed the dip in pollution level to the change in wind direction from north-westerly to south-easterly. This means that the impact of farm fires in Punjab and Haryana is not reaching Delhi at the pace it did earlier. Read more.
After implementing a series of anti-pollution measures to control the plummeting air quality index (AQI) in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party government is also considering bringing back the ‘odd-even’ vehicle rationing scheme. “We are also exploring the need for odd-even as well,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said Friday.
As reported by The Indian Express, 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). It is in this context that the government’s emphasis on public transport to curb pollution gains significance. Read more.
With registrations for the mid-entry scheme for Delhi University admissions underway, several seats are still available for science courses and those such as Home Science and Journalism.
Candidates will find openings in science courses in several colleges. For instance, even a prominent North Campus college like Hansraj still has several seats vacant in its Botany, Electronics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Geology, Zoology, and B.Sc. programme courses.
There are also several seats available in the B.Com. courses in many of the lesser-known colleges. For example, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College has 9 unreserved seats, Bharati College has 10, Mata Sundri College for Women has 11 and Swami Shraddhanand College has 20. Read more.
The air quality in the national capital was recorded in the "very poor" category on Sunday, while the minimum temperature settled at 17.5 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season's average.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board data, Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 331 at 10.30 am.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.
The relative humidity at 8.30 am was 91 per cent, the India Meteorological Department said.
The weatherman has forecast partly cloudy skies for the day while the maximum temperature on Sunday is expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius, it said.
On Saturday, the maximum temperature in the national capital settled at 30.6 degrees Celsius while the minimum temperature settled at 17.4 degrees Celsius, three notches below the season's average temperature. PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted Sunday two of the eight cheetahs brought from Namibia to the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh were released to a bigger enclosure for further adaptation after mandatory quarantine.
“Great news! Am told that after the mandatory quarantine, 2 cheetahs have been released to a bigger enclosure for further adaptation to the Kuno habitat. Others will be released soon. I’m also glad to know that all cheetahs are healthy, active and adjusting well,” Modi posted on Twitter along with a video. Read more.
The Delhi BJP will reach out to common people for suggestions on making the manifesto or Sankalp Patra for the MCD polls to be held next month. Satish Upadhyay, the convener of the BJP election manifesto committee, said the party has launched a website and released a WhatsApp number seeking suggestions from the public for upcoming corporation elections.
The WhatsApp number, 7827514514, has been issued by the party to seek suggestions from people. They can also give their suggestions through the website bjpdelhivision4mcd.com, Upadhyay said.
Along with this, the party will also ask for suggestions from the public by placing suggestion boxes at about 1000 places in different corners of the city and they will also be placed on the party’s campaign vehicles, said Upadhyay. Read more.
Air quality continued to dip in Delhi-NCR. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is presently at 349 in Noida (UP) under the 'Very Poor' category, 304 in Gurugram (Haryana) -- 'Very Poor' category. Delhi's overall AQI alos in 'Very Poor' category at 339, reports ANI.
Delhi recorded 68 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday with a positivity rate of 1.37 per cent, and one more person died due to the viral disease, according to the data shared by the health department here.
With these new cases, Delhi's COVID-19 tally has risen to 20,06,511 while the death toll due to the infection rose to 26,512.
Delhi recorded 54 coronavirus cases on Friday with a positivity rate of 1.22 per cent, and two deaths.
The city recorded zero death and 65 COVID-19 cases on Thursday with a positivity rate of 1.29 per cent.
The national capital had recorded 58 Covid cases on Wednesday with a positivity rate of 1.03 per cent.
The city had reported 63 cases of the infection with a positivity rate of 1.18 per cent on Tuesday.
The fresh cases came out of the tests conducted the previous day.
The number of active cases stands at 298 while the number of patients in home isolation is 202. Of the 8,773 Covid beds in the city hospitals, only 49 are occupied. PTI
A Delhi court on Saturday framed charges against former AAP leader Tahir Hussain for attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy in a case related to the 2020 riots in northeast Delhi. The court was hearing a case on the basis of a statement by complainant Ajay Goswami, who suffered a bullet injury during the riots at Main Karawal Nagar Road on February 25, 2020.
"I find all accused persons liable to be tried for the offences punishable under sections 307 (attempt to murder), read with 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of the Indian Penal Code," Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala said. Eight persons, including Hussain, have been charged. (PTI)
Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena has sent a proposal to the home ministry recommending that non-consensual sex with wife aged between 15 to 18 years will amount to rape and punishable under the Indian Penal Code, according to Delhi Police sources. It will also remove the discrepancy between the POCSO Act, which is applicable to offences against anyone up till 18 years and the prevailing provisions of the IPC, they said.
"Saxena has sent a proposal to the MHA recommending striking down of Exception 2 of Section 375 of Indian Penal Code (IPC), that provides if a girl child between 15 and 18 years is married, her husband can have non-consensual sexual intercourse with her, without being penalised under the IPC," the sources said. "If the recommendation is incorporated and the IPC amended, non-consensual sex with a wife between 15 to 18 years will amount to rape and will be punishable under IPC. (PTI)
A 58-year-old man sustained injuries after being beaten up by his former tenant over the removal of an expensive toilet seat he had installed while using the property, police said on Saturday. The incident took place on Friday afternoon. Police received information about a scuffle between a landlord and his ex-tenant at Chanakya Place, 30 Foota Road near a church, at 3.38 pm.
During the inquiry, the injured, identified as Ved Prakash, said he had rented his property to one Subhash Maggo for office purposes in 2021, who vacated the premises about one month ago, a senior police officer said. (PTI)
Nearly nine months after a portion of a sixth-floor apartment in a building collapsed all the way to the first floor at Gurgaon’s Chintels Paradiso society in Sector 109 and killed two women, the Gurgaon deputy commissioner (DC) on Saturday said that tower D, which has over 50 flats, will be demolished as per recommendations of a report of experts from IIT Delhi, which was probing the collapse. The incident had prompted the authorities to conduct a structural audit of several high-rise buildings in the city.
Addressing the media, Gurgaon DC Nishant Kumar Yadav said the IIT Delhi report had found that tower D, where the collapse started, had “structural deficiencies” due to which the slab of flat D-603 collapsed. Read more
The Delhi High Court has dismissed a plea seeking summoning of Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi, his father Suresh Oberoi and their Delhi-based firm Yashi Multimedia Pvt Ltd for allegedly cheating an entertainment company in 2003.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav said he was disallowing the relief not only on the ground that the petitioner has resorted to civil remedies but also because the court found that perusal of the entire complaint would not prima facie attract commission of the offence of cheating under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Read more
Alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar Saturday claimed in a press release that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had taken Rs 50 crore from him and offered him a Rajya Sabha seat. He also alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had asked him to bring 20-30 people on board to contribute Rs 500 crore to the party in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in 2016. Chandrasekhar is lodged in Tihar jail at present, and he has also been accused there of bribing jail officials to get preferential treatment.
Chandrasekhar had earlier written a letter to Delhi Lieutenant General (L-G) VK Saxena and alleged that Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain, who is in jail in relation to a case of alleged money laundering, had asked him for ‘protection money’ while he was in jail. Read more
The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday conducted searches at four places, including the house of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s personal assistant (PA) in connection with a money laundering probe it had launched on the government’s liquor policy.
The Delhi High Court has dismissed a plea seeking summoning of Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi, his father Suresh Oberoi and their Delhi-based firm Yashi Multimedia Pvt Ltd for allegedly cheating an entertainment company in 2003.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav said he was disallowing the relief not only on the ground that the petitioner has resorted to civil remedies but also because the court found that perusal of the entire complaint would not prima facie attract commission of the offence of cheating under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). (Read More)
Addressing a press briefing, Gurgaon DC Nishant Kumar Yadav said that as per recommendations of a draft IIT Delhi report, which has probed the collapse at Gurgaon's Chintels Paradiso society in which two people were killed in February 2022, tower D of the society has been found inhabitable and directions will be given on Monday to demolish the tower.
Two other towers of the society - E and F - which also have reported some structural deficiencies, will be vacated.
Tentative timelines for demolition of tower D will be issued after claims of settlement are discussed between builder and residents, said DC
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), the country’s apex consumer protection watchdog, has imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on online retailer Cloudtail India Pvt Ltd for selling domestic pressure cookers in violation of mandatory BIS standards.
The CCPA, headed by senior IAS officer Nidhi Khare, has also directed Cloudtail India to recall and reimburse the prices of 1,033 such pressure cookers sold to consumers, and submit a compliance report in 45 days. (Read More)
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Saturday appealed to the chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh to take measures to divert trucks carrying non-essential goods on peripheral expressways to avoid traffic jams at Delhi borders.
With pollution levels in the national capital worsening, the Centre's air quality panel had on Thursday banned the entry of trucks other than electric and CNG ones into Delhi. Those carrying essential commodities are exempted.
"Stage IV of GRAP has already been invoked with immediate effect from November 3... mandating the NCR and Delhi authorities to ensure that trucks carrying non-essential items should not be allowed to enter Delhi till further date as deemed necessary," Rai said in a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
"It is necessary that the transport and traffic authorities of your state also take steps/measures to divert such non-essential trucks on eastern/western peripheral expressway or any other alternate route beyond the NCR limit to avoid congestion and traffic jams at the borders shared with Delhi. Necessary cooperation is solicited from your respective state in this regard," the environment minister said. (PTI)
Ghaziabad police have arrested a man after his vehicle allegedly hit a motorbike and dragged it along for a long distance in the upscale Indirapuram area on Wednesday evening, officers said.
A purported video of the event circulating on social media appears to show the driver arguing with a group of people in the aftermath of the accident. He then drives off quickly, with the fallen bike still entangled in his vehicle’s bumper. As the two-wheeler gets dragged on the road, a stream of sparks is also seen. (Read More)
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is starting a Patient Care Dashboard on its official website to provide a real-time summary of the status of beds in its general and private wards from December 25.
“As a part of Good Governance and to increase transparency, it has been decided to share AlIMS New Delhi’s patient care statistics and analytics on AlIMS website in the form of an AlIMS ‘Patient Care Dashboard’, said an office memorandum issued by AIIMS director M Srinivas. (Read More)
Members of the Delhi Nurses Federation (DNF) on Friday announced that they will go on mass casual leave on November 16 and go on an indefinite strike from November 30 as their symbolic three-day strike has not helped them get the desired results.
Services in Delhi government hospitals were briefly affected for the third consecutive day on Friday after hundreds of nurses held a strike from 9 am-11 am demanding regularisation of services and long-due promotions. (Read More)
The Delhi High Court Thursday directed the Railway Protection Special Force to reinstate a constable suffering from Paranoid Schizophrenia, setting aside his compulsory retirement imposed on him.
A division bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Saurabh Banerjee observed that “each individual suffering with the disorder Paranoid Schizophrenia has to be dealt differently just like each Doctor prescribes different medicines to different patients suffering from similar disease(s)”. The observation was made in a plea moved by a constable in the force challenging his compulsory retirement from service and seeking reinstatement with full back wages and consequential benefits. (Read More)
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar arrived in Gurgaon on Saturday morning for inauguration of Basai flyover and Mahavir Chowk underpass.
While speaking on concerns of residents of Basai, sector 9A, sector 9, sector 10 and nearby areas, regarding dumping of garbage and waste of Bandhwari landfill on a five acre dumping yard in sector 101 for the past few days, Khattar, said, "This is only a temporary thing for 6 to 8 months, it is not permanent. We need land for some time so that area can be cleared at Bandhwari site to set up plant there for processing waste."
Residents interrupted CM's speech, voicing concerns of residents' health due to waste being dumped in a residential area.
"Nothing is temporary, this dumping ground will become permanent. Dump waste 15 kms outside the city," said a resident from crowd.
To this, Khattar, said, "If you are opposed to this, i will visit the site in ten days and review the situation."
With people still voicing their protest, Khattar told the villagers, "You decide and give us land of ten acre, we will dump it there. We have to run Bandhwari plant...Thodi takleef 6 mahine ho jaegi, Bandhwari mein bi log seh hi rhe hein."
He then said, "Mein is gaaon mein rehne lag jaunga ek saal ke liye... mera kaam shehr saaf karna hai."
With villagers still not agreeing to this, Khattar said, "ok, the MLA has suggested a site, we will see it this week and if possible, the waste will be taken there."
Stung by recent incidents of bouncers assaulting guests at clubs in Gurgaon, companies who train and provide bouncers to clubs and bars in the city are intensifying background checks and conducting sessions to sensitise their staff.
Earlier this week, a forest department staffer and his friends were allegedly thrashed by some bouncers outside a club in a mall on MG road. In August, Gurgaon police had arrested the manager and six bouncers of club Casa Danza for allegedly beating up an MNC manager and his friends. Police probe had found that two of the bouncers had a criminal history. Four days later that month, in another incident, four bouncers were booked for allegedly thrashing two armed forces personnel at a club in sector 29. And in July, a bouncer had allegedly assaulted a couple at Ghamroj toll plaza. (Read More)
With the State Election Commission declaring that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls will be held on December 4, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders have made it clear that their campaign will be centred around Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with the slogan ‘MCD mein bhi Kejriwal’.
Several AAP leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and MLAs Somnath Bharti, Atishi, Jarnail Singh, Sanjeev Jha and Rohit Kumar Mehraulia, tweeted their support for the party with the slogan ‘MCD mein bhi Kejriwal’ soon after the dates were declared. (Read More)
The air quality in Delhi moved to the “very poor” category on Saturday from being in the “severe” range a day ago, data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) showed.
While the PM2.5 level in the national capital reached 237, the PM10 level in Delhi was recorded at 397. According to SAFAR data, the air quality in Delhi is likely to remain under ‘very poor’ category for a few more days. (Read More)
A fire has broken out in a plastic slipper factory in Outer North's Narela Industrial Area. 20 fire tenders have been sent to the spot. No casualties are reported so far, DFS Chief Atul Garg said.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Thursday (November 3) invoked measures under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with immediate effect, prohibiting the use of diesel four-wheelers that are not BS-VI compliant, as well as the entry of trucks into Delhi.
There are 3 lakh diesel cars in Delhi that are not BS-VI compliant. Petrol vehicles can ply as usual. What’s the problem with diesel?
Why is the government cracking down on diesel specifically?
Around the world, diesel has been seen in recent years as being more environmentally hazardous than petrol. This is why there are tighter restrictions on diesel vehicles in India too. (Read More)
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has arrived in Gurgaon for inauguration of Basai flyover and Mahavir Chowk underpass.
Observing that former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain “engaged in money laundering”, a Delhi court framed charges against him in a money laundering case connected with the Northeast Delhi riots. Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat framed charges against Tahir Thursday under Section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, punishable under Section 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
The court, after perusing the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) complaint, witness statements and accompanying documents, said, “It emerges, prima facie, that accused Tahir Hussain, acting in conspiracy, engaged in money laundering.” (Read More)
Air quality continues to dip in Delhi-NCR. Air Quality Index (AQI) presently at 529 in Noida (UP) in 'Severe' category, 478 in Gurugram (Haryana) in 'Severe' category & 534 near Dhirpur in 'Severe' category Delhi's overall AQI currently in 'Severe' category at 431.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Vinai Kumar Saxena Friday wrote a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asking him to undertake “urgent” and “substantive” measures to control stubble burning in Punjab as it has converted Delhi-NCR into a “gas chamber”.
Responding to the L-G’s letter, the Punjab CM said, “L-G sahib, you are stopping the work of the elected government in Delhi. You stopped the ‘Red Light on, Gaadi off’ campaign and are doing politics by writing to me? Doing politics on such a serious subject is not correct/right.” (Read More)