An aerial view of the smog in the skies above the Delhi airport. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)The Delhi government Wednesday said that schools, colleges and educational institutions in the national capital will reopen from Monday, November 29. “Schools, colleges and educational institutions will be allowed to reopen in the city. Work from home in government offices will end on November 29, but we request people to use public transport. CNG and electric trucks carrying non essential items will be allowed in Delhi from November 27. The ban on entry of diesel and petrol trucks carrying non essential items will continue till December 3,” Delhi Environment minister Gopal Rai said.
The air quality in Delhi is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category on Wednesday, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi. The Air Quality Index of Delhi is currently at 280, according to the SAFAR forecasting system. In a slight improvement, the AQI of the national capital on Tuesday moved from the ‘very poor’ to the ‘poor’ category on Tuesday with the 24-hour average index recorded at 290.
Delhi BJP MP Gautam Gambhir has filed a police complaint with the Central district police, saying he has received a threatening mail from ‘ISIS Kashmir’. The cyber cell of the district along with the special cell has started an investigation. Meanwhile, security outside Gambhir’s residence in Rajendra Nagar has been beefed up.
Delhi on Wednesday reported 27 new Covid-19 cases and zero deaths with a positivity rate of 0.05 percent, according to data shared by the Delhi government. So far in November, the city has recorded 4 deaths. The cumulative number of cases has now reached 14,40,719.
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In a move that will benefit owners of lakhs of commercial vehicles in the national capital, the Delhi Transport Department has fixed the fees for issuing speed limit device certificates at Rs 500.
Commercial vehicles require the certificate to show they are equipped with a functional speed limit device (also called speed governors) at the time of their fitness test. Currently, Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 is charged for issuing speed limit device certificates.
In an order issued on Tuesday, the Transport Department pointed out that various speed governor manufacturers, authorised dealers and vendors are charging an "exorbitant amount" for issuing speed limit device certificates and said that they will not charge more than Rs 500 for issuing these certificates. (PTI)
Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana on Wednesday said that the merger of PCR with police stations has brought down the average response time from around eight minutes to over three minutes.
He also stated that in pursuance of the directives of the government of India, there should be 33 per cent women in police force and the strength of women in the Delhi Police is rising in successive recruitments.
"We are working on that and hopefully by 2025, it will be 25 per cent which is 13 per cent right now," Asthana said during an interaction with around 50 journalists at Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC).
The merger of PCR with police stations has not only bolstered the strength of police stations with augmentation of around 6,500 PCR personnel, but also considerably enhanced police visibility with more vehicles patrolling the local beats. The merger has brought down the average response time from seven to eight minutes to 3.7 minutes, he said. (PTI)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday expressed his resolve to provide the public all the facilities available to ministers and lashed out at opposition parties for terming his government's schemes "freebies".
Governments do not lack funds, they just "fool" people, he claimed.
The Aam Aadmi Party is working towards expanding its electoral footprint in different states with its national convener Kejriwal, his ministers and party leaders making frequent trips to Punjab, Uttarkhand and Goa where Assembly polls are due next year.
At a programme organised by the AAP's Legal Cell here, Kejriwal said, "Every minister gets 4,000 units of electricity for free and that's not a 'freebie'. But when I give 200 units of electricity to the people of Delhi for free it is called 'freebie'."
He claimed that as soon as one becomes MLA, their bank balance shoots up immediately, they start owning two to three bungalows, open accounts in the Swiss banks and "lives of their next seven generations get sorted". (PTI)
The DDA will offer nearly 15,000 flats in its new housing scheme, officials said on Wednesday. The flats of different categories located at Dwarka, Narela, Rohini and Jasola, among other places will be offered under this scheme and are those which remained "unsold in previous housing schemes" of the urban body, the DDA said in a statement.
The decision was taken during an online meeting of the authority of the DDA, held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Lt Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal, also the chairman of the DDA, officials said.
The authority has approved launching of a special housing scheme for approximately 15,000 flats, they said. The DDA said it will soon share further details of the scheme on its website and in leading newspapers and on social media. (PTI)
A skill-mapping survey commissioned by the Delhi government in East Delhi slum clusters has found over 26 per cent of respondents are unemployed, with most of them attributing the lack of jobs to the pandemic.
The survey commissioned by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics was conducted by an NGO in August-September. It covered 20,414 respondents in 10 slum clusters.
"Out of total respondents, 12,104 persons or 59.29 per cent were in the most economically active age group. Unfortunately, 3,218 persons or 26.58 per cent of them were unemployed," the survey report read.
Nearly 48 per cent of the households in the slums were found to be living in very "deprived" conditions as their average monthly consumer expenditure was less than Rs 10,000. The household size was approximately five persons per household, it stated. (PTI)
The Delhi government's announcement on Wednesday on the reopening of educational institutions in the city drew mixed reactions from schools and parents' bodies with some saying it is necessary to make up for the learning loss and others terming it a "hasty decision".
The Delhi Parents Association said Delhi's air quality and the COVID-19 pandemic remain causes of concern and can severely affect children's lungs.
However, some schools said they have made the necessary arrangements for children's safety and will be able to manage things smoothly as only 50 per cent of students are allowed in a classroom at a time.
Earlier in the day, the Delhi government announced that physical classes in schools, colleges and other educational institutions will resume and government offices will reopen from November 29 in view of the "improvement" of the air quality in the city. (PTI)
In order to rein in surging tomato prices in the national capital, Delhi Food and Civil Supplies Minister Imran Hussain on Wednesday ordered a crackdown against hoarders.
The minister directed officials of his department to gather information about instances of hoarding and black marketing of tomatoes, and initiate necessary action under the Essential Commodity Act, if needed.
The minister chaired a meeting to review the sudden and undue increase in the retail tomato prices in the markets. It was attended by the commissioner of Food and Civil Supplies and the joint commissioner and senior officers of the intelligence team of the department among others.
During the meeting, Hussain issued directions to carry out intense inspections of wholesale markets, including the Azadpur Mandi, Okhla Mandi, Ghazipur Mandi and the Keshopur Mandi, and retail markets across Delhi. (PTI)
"What courts do is a thankless job, they only earn ire of the populist," the Delhi High Court Wednesday observed while hearing a batch of pleas relating to illegal squatting and vending activities in the national capital.
A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh made the observation when the counsel representing New Delhi Traders Association was stressing that even the earlier judgements of the apex court stated that vendors do not have the absolute right and they have to be balanced with others' rights.
The counsel was relying on various judicial decisions in support of his plea challenging the validity of the Street Vendors Act.
Reacting to the observation of the bench, senior advocate Sanjeev Ralli, appearing for the association, said "If the court is made to feel like that then where we are proceeding to.
"Be it any community from the smallest to the biggest, whenever anything happening is unfair, everyone comes before your lordship. If your lordship is not going to come up if this activity is not stopped, what kind of system we are going to have?" he submitted.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on December 8. (PTI)
Delhi's air quality slipped into the "very poor" category on Wednesday as low temperatures and slow surface winds allowed the accumulation of pollutants. The city's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was 361.
According to India Meteorological Department, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 9.2 degrees Celsius, this season's lowest so far. The maximum temperature settled at 28.8 degrees Celsius.
Strong winds on Sunday and Monday had led to an improvement in the air quality.
The 24-hour average AQI read 290 on Tuesday, the second-best AQI reading this month since November 1 when it was 281. Delhi has seen 'very poor' or 'severe' air quality on the rest of the days.
Neighbouring Faridabad (367), Ghaziabad (366), Greater Noida (312), Gurgaon (305) and Noida (325) also saw a dip in air quality on Wednesday. (PTI)
A Delhi court has directed the police to register an FIR against BJP leader Sambit Patra for allegedly posting a doctored video of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal supporting the farm laws, saying it may have resulted in rioting like situation across the nation.
Metropolitan Magistrate Rishabh Kapoor directed the Delhi Police to register the FIR under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and conduct a thorough investigation against the BJP Spokesperson while allowing the application of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Atishi.
Atishi had moved the court seeking registration of FIR against Patra claiming that the video contained statements that were diametrically opposite to the stand taken by the Delhi CM and the Aam Aadmi Party concerning the farm laws and caused discontent and dissatisfaction in the minds of farmers. (PTI)
Delhi Police Wednesday told a court here that suspending the 7-year jail terms awarded to real estate barons Sushil and Gopal Ansal for tampering with evidence in the 1997 case of Uphaar cinema fire will trigger the mental trauma and agony of the victims.
It told Additional Sessions Judge Anil Antil that the punishment provided a solace to the victims of the tragedy and reinforced their faith in the justice delivery system, that too after 24 years.
If the 7-year sentence awarded to the convicts is suspended just after 15 days of incrimination it will further erode the faith of common citizens of this country in our criminal justice system, additional public prosecutor A T Ansari told the court. (PTI)
The Delhi High Court Wednesday sought response of the Delhi Government on a plea by a lounge and bar owner seeking to restrain the authorities from interfering with its business of serving herbal hookah, as permitted by the court recently.
The petitioner, Delhi Lounge and Bar Private Limited, gave an undertaking before Justice Yashwant Varma that they will follow the norms and will ensure that herbal hookahs will not contain tobacco or nicotine.
The plea contended that the authorities were not allowing it to serve herbal hookah that was permitted by its November 16 order.
On November 16, the high court had passed an interim order on a batch of pleas, allowing for the time being the use of herbal hookah in restaurants and pubs in the national capital and said that COVID-19 restrictions cannot be permitted to continue at the cost of livelihood. (PTI)
A sprawling, giant maharukh tree is the local celebrity at Nehru Park. Staff at the park, who know it as “ullu ka ped” or simply “ullu” (owl), say that it has been photographed several times.
“It’s possibly the oldest tree here. It was planted before any of us started working here. It cannot be younger than 50 years,” said Kishori Lal, the senior most gardener at Nehru Park, who has been working there since 1982. People have come to take pictures of it, and an event has been held beneath it, Kishori Lal said. Read more
The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed the Centre to continue providing security to a senior UP police officer who was the investigating officer (IO) in Nitish Katara murder case and is retiring soon, as he apprehends threat to his life.
Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar said the authorities shall continue providing security to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Anil Samaniya till the next date of hearing on December 10.
The high court issued notice and sought response of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Delhi government, Delhi Police, UP government and Director General of UP Police on the petition by the officer who is retiring on November 30 and fears for his life. (PTI)
The Delhi High Court Wednesday asked the Centre and Delhi government to start the recruitment process for the appointment of doctors and paramedical staff in government-run hospitals here. The court was hearing a petition which claimed that there is an acute shortage of doctors and paramedical staff in government-run hospitals in the city.
“You (authorities) start the recruitment process and appoint them. Show some speed. This is required,” said the bench comprising Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh. “It is not necessary that all vacancies should be filled (if) you are not getting suitable candidates. Start the process. You can't say that you will never start the process,” the bench said while hearing a petition seeking immediate filling up of vacancies in government-run hospitals on an urgent basis.
The court issued notice on the public interest litigation by Dr. Nand Kishore Garg, a social activist and former Delhi MLA and sought response from the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Safdarjung Hospital, and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. (PTI)
The Delhi High Court Wednesday said it will pass directions to ensure safety and security in courts which will remain in force till April 18.
A bench headed by Chief Justice D N Patel, which was hearing its suo motu case concerning the September 24 shootout which killed three people in a courtroom at Rohini Court, stated that it would incorporate as directions its earlier suggestions on strictly regulating ingress in judicial complexes by deploying an appropriate number of personnel and devices based on a security audit.
The bench, also comprising Justice Jyoti Singh, said it will take up the matter in April again to review the directions and asked the Bar to cooperate in the meantime. Read more
Mahant Narendra Giri, the deceased president of Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad, was under such “grave mental trauma” from his estranged disciple Anand Giri, priest Adhya Prasad Tiwari and his son Sandeep Tiwari that he ended his life to “avoid defamation and insult” in the eyes of society, the CBI has said in its charge sheet.
The CBI recovered a video of the Mahant, recorded before he killed himself, in which he alleged that Anand Giri was going to release an “edited video” showing him in an objectionable position with a woman, it said. Read more
Hearing a petition pertaining to the air pollution crisis in Delhi NCR on Wednesday, a special bench of the Supreme Court expressed concern that the air quality could deteriorate further.
Reprimanding the Centre for implementing pollution-control measures only after the weather becomes severe, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant said that steps should instead be taken anticipating a rise in air pollution. The plea was filed by 17-year-old Delhi student Aditya Dubey. Read more
A 35-year-old woman and her three-year-old daughter died after an autorickshaw they were travelling in rammed into a truck as the driver allegedly dozed off at a traffic signal in outer Delhi’s Paschim Vihar on Tuesday. The accident happened between 7 pm and 8 pm in the Jawalapuri area, said the police.
The deceased have been identified as Suman and Anu. Suman’s husband Ratan Singh and her sister Shikha were also in the autorickshaw. Read more
"Schools, colleges and educational institutions will be allowed to reopen in the city, starting Monday, November 29. Work from home in government offices will end on November 29, but we request people to use public transport. CNG and electric trucks carrying nonessential items will be allowed in Delhi from November 27. The ban on entry of diesel and petrol trucks carrying nonessential items will continue till December 3," Gopal Rai said today.
A Delhi court has ordered the police to investigate whether a deliberate attempt was made to shield five men who were discharged in a northeast Delhi riots case.
Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat discharged the five men who were accused of being part of a mob that looted a Muslim man’s house and a medical store. Police stated that the rioters took away medicines and cosmetics worth about Rs 22-23 lakh. Read more
The Income Tax Department has detected an estimated undisclosed income of Rs 400 crore after it raided two real estate groups based in Delhi and the national capital region, the CBDT said on Wednesday. The unidentified groups engaged in construction of commercial and residential projects were searched on November 17.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said in a statement that the preliminary analysis of the seized data found that the groups were receiving part of the sale consideration in cash against the sale of flats and such cash is not recorded in the books of accounts. It claimed, there is a "large scale tax evasion" and due tax on such income has not been offered.
"The evidence gathered so far, prima facie, indicates that undisclosed income could be to the tune of about Rs 400 crore," the statement said, adding Rs 10 crore cash was seized during the raids. --- PTI
The Delhi government will resume its free pilgrimage scheme for senior citizens, the ‘Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana’, on December 3 with a batch of 1,000 people who will leave for Ayodhya, officials said on Tuesday. The first train carrying senior citizens from Delhi to Ayodhya for pilgrimage to depart on December 3, says CM Arvind Kejriwal.
The air quality in Delhi is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category on Wednesday, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi.
On Tuesday, there had been some improvement in the AQI with an increase in wind speed. The AQI as a 24-hour average stood at 290, in the ‘poor’ category on Tuesday, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) bulletin. PM2.5 was the main pollutant. Read more
The CBI has filed a charge sheet against Navy Commander Jagdish who was arrested in late September in connection with the alleged leakage of confidential information related to procurement and maintenance of Naval assets, officials said on Wednesday.
They said while two charge sheets have already been filed against six individuals earlier, the probe against Navy Commander Jagdish was still on.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday filed its charge sheet against Commander Jagdish too, the officials said. Read more
Delhi court convicted five Kashmiri men for possessing Shahtoosh Shawls which is made from the fur of a Tibetan Antelope, an animal protected under the Wildlife Act.
The Shahtoosh trade was banned globally in 1975 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The antelope is provided protection under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Prevention) Act. This came into force after they were hunted and poached for their fine wool and then made into scarves and shawls which used to fetch exorbitant prices in affluent countries. Read more
Woman, three-year-old daughter died after autorickshaw rams into a truck in Paschim Vihar. Police said auto driver fell asleep and hit the truck
A Delhi-Bengaluru flight made an unscheduled landing at Indore's Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport here after a 25-year-old woman passenger complained of uneasiness and chest pain, an official said on Tuesday.
After the aircraft landed on Monday night, the woman was taken to a private hospital where doctors, after examining her, said she had minor problems related to gas and acidity, he said.
Prabodh Sharma, director-in-charge of the Indore airport, said, 'A 25-year-old woman passenger on board a Vistara airline flight complained of chest pain and shortness of breath on Monday night in the middle of the journey.'
He said the Delhi-Bengaluru flight was diverted towards Indore due to a medical emergency and the plane landed at the airport around 10 pm. Sharma said the woman was immediately sent to Banthia Hospital in an ambulance and after that the Bengaluru-bound flight with other passengers left for the destination at 11:07 pm. --- PTI
Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot Tuesday inaugurated the Tactical Urbanism (TU) trials at Rajghat to improve road safety in Delhi.
“Tactical Urbanism (TU) trials are temporary, quick and relatively low-cost interventions, which test out urban design, transportation planning and infrastructural changes for improving road safety for all road users, especially the most vulnerable, like pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorised transport users,” the government said in a statement. Read more
Delhi BJP MP Gautam Gambhir filed a police complaint, alleging he has received a threatening mail from ‘ISIS Kashmir’. DCP (Central) Shweta Chauhan said they have received a complaint and probe is on. Security has been beefed up outside Gambhir's residence in Rajendra Nagar.
A group of parents of school-going children in Delhi have sent a representation to government functionaries urging them to reopen schools.
The schools were closed on November 13 due to rising pollution.
A group of 140 parents—including lawyers, professors, doctors, architects, and business owners—have written to the Lieutenant Governor, Chief Minister, and Deputy Chief Minister, Ministers of Environment and Health, Chairpersons of the CAQM and DCPCR, Chief Secretary, and MLA Atishi urging that schools be reopened. Read more
Delhi has recorded 7,128 dengue cases so far this year, over 5,000 of them in November alone. This is the highest case count in the city since the big dengue and chikungunya outbreak in 2015.
According to data collated by the MCDs, over 1,800 of these cases have been recorded over the past week alone. No new dengue death has been reported by the corporations this week. Read more
Uttar Pradesh will soon become the only state in India to have five international airports with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to lay the foundation stone of the Noida International Airport (NIA) in Jewar on Thursday.
The development of the airport is in line with the vision of Prime Minister Modi to boost connectivity and create a future-ready aviation sector, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement on Tuesday. Read more
The minimum temperature in the city rose slightly on Tuesday to settle at 14.4 degrees Celsius, officials said. The minimum temperature on Monday was recorded at 12 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year.
The national capital on November 17 had recorded a low of 9.6 degrees Celsius, the lowest of the season by far. In 2020, the lowest minimum temperature in the month of November was recorded on November 23 at 6.3 degrees Celsius, officials said. The maximum temperature on Tuesday is likely to settle around 27 degrees Celsius, the weather office has forecast. ---PTI
Two men died after their car fell into an open drain after supposedly colliding with another car near Gadoli village on Pataudi Road on early Monday morning.
According to the police, the incident took place around 2.45 am, when the victims, identified as Keshav (24) and Dharamvir (29), contractors from Mahendragarh district of Haryana, were travelling to Gurgaon Dharamvir was dropping Keshav at Gurgaon after attending a wedding, the police said. Read more
The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi government and Delhi Police to sensitise and train their officers in respect of the need to preserve forests and trees in the national capital. The court also questioned how rampant cutting of fully grown trees was allowed to take place in South Delhi.
During the hearing of a petition filed by Pratap Singh Parmar through advocate K.C. Mittal, Justice Najmi Waziri was told that 50 fully grown trees were cut down in Mehrauli and a large-scale unauthorized construction has been undertaken. Read more
The Delhi Police is going to set up “cyber” police stations in each district to curb rising cybercrime cases in the national capital.
The home department of the Delhi government issued a notification to set up these stations in all the 15 police districts which would start operations on December 1. The order states that the facilities will be used to provide better police assistance to the public. Read more
Air quality in Delhi is likely to be in the ‘poor’ category on Tuesday, according to the morning bulletin of the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi.
The SAFAR forecasting system update on Monday indicated that the improvement in air quality was a result of stronger winds dispersing pollutants and the lower fire count from stubble burning. The AQI on Monday stood at 311, in the lower end of the ‘very poor’ category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board bulletin which provides a 24-hour average.
Days after the body of a 32-year-old woman was found in Dwarka, a medical board of doctors which conducted the autopsy has told the Delhi Police she was sexually assaulted and that her private parts were burnt to hide evidence of the assault.
Police on Monday said they have booked a juvenile in connection with the crime. Police said the boy, aged 17, allegedly tied the woman’s hands, raped her inside his house and killed her. Read more
People will no longer have to stand in line to get new water and sewer connections, water tankers or to get their water metres tested.
After regional transport offices, several services offered at zonal revenue offices of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) are being shifted online completely.
In a meeting between DJB chairperson Satyendar Jain and senior board officials, it was decided that to strengthen the water billing system, making it more transparent, all services of the zonal revenue offices will be migrated to the online M-Seva app and make it completely faceless. Read more
To improve their image, particularly online, Delhi Police has decided to hire a social media analytics and outreach management agency, which will, among other things, create a YouTube channel that showcases their “good work”.
Currently, a team of contractual employees — mostly young graduates working with the Special Branch — handle Twitter accounts of the Delhi Police. It is learnt that Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana wants a more professional approach going forward. Read more
The Centre on Monday opposed the Delhi government’s proposed scheme of home delivery of ration in the Delhi High Court and argued that fair price shops play an important role in the implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati termed fair price shops integral to the architecture of the NFSA and argued that a state is required to ensure execution of the law in a manner mandated under it. The Centre has no role in selection of these fair price shops, the central government counsel added.
Bhati said the state was free to provide benefits more than what is given under the NFSA but “cannot mitigate the benefits of NFSA”. She also told the court that other states are only planning pilot projects in particular areas before taking a decision. Read more
Questioning the closure of schools in Delhi due to the pollution spike, educators and parent representatives said a better way is needed to address the annual problem than shutting schools.
On Sunday, the education department passed an order that the closure will continue “till further orders”. Environment Minister Gopal Rai Monday said the decision on whether to reopen schools will be taken on November 24.
This closure has come close on the heels of schools re-opening for younger children after a Covid-induced shutdown of more than one-and-a-half years. Read more
A Delhi court has framed charges of arson against a father-son duo accused of setting a mosque on fire during last year’s northeast Delhi riots.
Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat framed charges under sections of arson and rioting among others against the accused Mithhan Singh and his son Jony Kumar.
The complainant Israfil stated that Singh and Kumar were part of the violent mob that was raising slogans of ‘Jai Shree Ram’ on February 25, 2020 and they set his house ablaze. Read more
Following the protest by a delegation of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs outside the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah met the MPs at his residence in Delhi to discuss the alleged police brutality in Tripura.
"We told him (Amit Shah) in detail how leaders were arrested & MPs were beaten up. He said he spoke to Tripura CM over phone yesterday & will seek a report from the state," said TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee after the meeting.
A special court granted bail to retired Navy officers Randeep Singh and SJ Singh in a case of alleged leak of confidential information on submarine projects for pecuniary gains, terming the CBI's chargesheets as "incomplete" as the documents did not mention anything about a probe under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), officials said. (PTI)
The Delhi High Court Monday resumed full-fledged physical functioning that was restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hybrid system, wherein lawyers have the option to attend the hearing via video conference instead of appearing in person, is being continued.
The high court has been holding proceedings through video conferencing since March 2020 following the COVID-19 outbreak. Later, few benches started holding physical courts daily on rotation basis.
On November 18, the high court issued its standard operating procedure (SOP) to regulate the entry of lawyers and litigants inside the court building and said that those displaying symptoms of flu, fever, and cough shall not be allowed.
“No litigant, who is represented by an advocate, would be permitted entry unless there is specific direction by the court. The advocates, party-in-person, and registered clerks above the age of 65 years and those suffering from co-morbidities may refrain from appearing in courts. Persons displaying symptoms of flu, fever, cough, etc. shall not be permitted entry inside the court complex,” the SOP said.
October 29, the high court had said that it would resume complete physical hearings from November 22 while continuing to give an option to parties to request for video conferencing mode. (PTI)
Dengue cases in the national capital this year have mounted to over 7,100. Around 5,600 cases were recorded in November alone, according to news agency PTI.
The decision to reopen schools and work from home for Delhi government staff as well as the truck entry will be taken on November 24, Environment minister Gopal Rai said on Monday.
As Delhi's air quality improved slightly on Monday, the Delhi government lifted its ban on construction and demolition activities, Environment minister Gopal Rai said at a high-level meeting on tackling the capital's pollution. " If any agency is found violating dust control norms, Delhi government will stop work and impose penalty without notice," Rai added.
Having arrived in 1998, as a diplomatic gift from Zimbabwe to the Indian President, it has spent over two decades in an enclosure at the zoo alone, far away from its natural home of the Savanna grasslands of Africa. The Delhi Zoo is now exploring options to end its prolonged isolation.
An online petition was recently launched by the Youth for Animals, an organisation for animal welfare, “to help free Shankar from decades of solitary confinement”.
Shankar is also only one of the two African elephants housed in zoos in India, the second being another male at the Mysuru Zoo. Shankar was brought to India with a female elephant, which died a few years after it arrived in Delhi.(With Abhinaya Harigovind)
A delegation of Trinamool Congress MPs protested outside the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday over the alleged police brutality in Tripura. They are seeking an appointment from the Union Home Minister Amit Shah. For this, 16 TMC MPs including Derek O'Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Santanu Sen and Mala Roy, arrived at the party office in Delhi today
Strong surface winds brought some relief from high pollution levels in Delhi and improved visibility on Monday morning, officials said. The air quality index of the city stood at 307, which falls in the very poor category. However, it was down from 349 the previous day. The air quality index of Gurugram, Greater Noida, Faridabad and Noida stood at 318, 213, 326 and 268 respectively.
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Sunday wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind urging him that the Padma Shri conferred on actor Kangana Ranaut be withdrawn as she was "spreading communal hatred, targeting a religious community, and insulting farmers and freedom fighters".
The Sikh body filed a police complaint against her on Saturday for allegedly making seditious and derogatory remarks on social media. In his letter to the President, DSGMC and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said Ranaut has been "deliberately provoking Sikhs" making references to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Delhi's air quality remained 'very poor' on Sunday morning and strong surface winds are likely to bring some relief from high pollution levels during the day, authorities said. The city recorded its air quality index (AQI) at 382 at 9 am. The 24-hour average AQI was 374 on Saturday.
With strong winds helping the dispersion of pollutants, the air quality could improve to reach the ‘poor’ to ‘moderate’ category on Monday and Tuesday.
Around 550 buses hired by the Delhi government from private operators will start plying on the city roads under "Paryawaran Sewa" from Monday, in a bid to help people switch from using private vehicles to public transport in view of the alarming air quality in the national capital, officials said.
The Delhi government recently decided to hire 1,000 CNG buses from private operators. "So far, over 750 buses have been registered, of which nearly 550 will be pressed into service under Paryawaran Sewa from Monday on different routes. These buses will augment public transport by increasing the frequency on various routes with a high passenger load," a transport department officer said.
The Delhi government on Sunday extended the ban on the entry of trucks carrying non-essential items into the city and work from home for its employees till November 26 to combat air pollution and minimise its health effects. A senior official said the ban on construction and demolition activities in Delhi has been lifted.
According to the directions of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), schools and colleges will remain closed till further orders, he said. "Keeping in view the very poor air quality forecast and that vehicular pollution would cause extensive air pollution and release harmful air pollutants, particularly when the air quality is very poor, it is felt that there is a need for further extension of the curbs on vehicular movement in Delhi," an order issued by the environment department said.