Delhi News LIVE Updates: City wakes up to dense haze as AQI slips to ‘very poor; govt awaits right conditions for cloud seeding

Vehicular movement in parts of New Delhi and Central Delhi will be restricted on Friday in view of the ‘Run for Unity' being organised to mark Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, police said. According to a traffic advisory issued by the Delhi Traffic Police, floral tributes will be paid at various locations, and vehicular and public movement will be affected in the New Delhi area. Traffic will be restricted on Ashoka Road, Sansad Marg, C-Hexagon, Mathura Road, Purana Qila Road and several connecting stretches. — PTI

In a decision aimed at providing relief to lakhs of owners of overage vehicles, the Delhi government on Thursday lifted the one-year limit on NOC applications for deregistered vehicles.

This move will primarily benefit owners of diesel vehicles aged over 10 years and petrol vehicles over 15 years old, allowing them to obtain an NOC to re-register their vehicles in other states outside the Delhi-NCR region, irrespective of how long ago their vehicle's registration expired, an official statement said. — PTI

When fate cost a 20-year-old Delhi man his thumb, his foot came to the rescue. In a rare surgery, doctors used a toe from his amputated leg to rebuild the missing finger.

The man sustained grievous injuries in a road accident involving a bike and a tractor, which led to the complete amputation of his left leg below the knee and his left thumb, according to a statement from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in the national capital. — PTI

More than 60 delegates from 40 different countries, including ministers, on Thursday visited South Asia's "largest" battery energy storage system (BESS) set up in Delhi's Kilokari area.

The visit was part of the 8th session of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Assembly, said a statement from BSES discom.

The BESS set up in South Delhi's Kilokari is a 20 MW facility, the first large-scale digital twin of a power distribution network.

BSES-led projects highlight Delhi's leadership in sustainable energy through cutting-edge public-private collaboration. — PTI

As the capital remains under the grip of "very poor" air quality, and with temperatures dropping, Delhi Police has drawn up a comprehensive plan to safeguard its traffic personnel from adverse effects of pollution and cold, officials said on Thursday.

This includes providing high-quality air-filter masks, winter gear and regular health check-ups to ensure their safety, a senior officer of the Delhi Traffic Police said.

He said, like every year, as smog blankets Delhi and air quality dips, traffic police personnel are among the most exposed groups, spending long hours outdoors. — PTI

Holding an arms licence is not useful if one cannot keep ammunition for it, a Delhi court has said while dismissing an appeal against the discharge of a man accused of carrying live cartridges in his bag at the Delhi airport.

Additional Sessions Judge Deepti Devesh was hearing a criminal appeal by the prosecution against the August 2023 order of a magisterial court, which had discharged the man booked under Section 25 of the Arms Act. — PTI

The BJP has begun preparations for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi bypolls, aiming to win at least 10 of the 12 wards where voting is due to be held on November 30, party leaders said on Thursday.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva on Wednesday announced the appointment of election coordinators and ministers-in-charge who held meetings with local leaders in the wards, as well as presidents of the district party units concerned. — PTI

Two youth have been arrested for allegedly stabbing cab driver to death over a "long-standing rivalry" at a park in southwest Delhi's Kishangarh , police said on Thursday.

A police team who reached the spot found the man lying in a pool of blood, with multiple stab wounds close to his ear, abdomen and other parts, in Machhli Park on Monday, they said. — PTI

The Delhi Police has arrested a 20-year-old youth was arrested for allegedly assaulting a law student in northwest Delhi's Sultanpuri area, an official said on Thursday.

The accused, Saksham, was apprehended from near a post office in Bhiwani in Haryana, following a tip-off, he said.

According to the police, Saksham has been on the run since the registration of an FIR. Acting on a tip-off, a team apprehended him. — PTI

Two days ago, Delhi made two attempts at creating artificial rain to help curb pollution levels. No rain, however, was recorded in Delhi after the trials, which were conducted in association with IIT-Kanpur.

Both Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and IIT-Kanpur, however, said the operation helped reduce particulate matter.

But what does data show?

Read our report.

Jawaharlal Nehru University has suspended a research student for one semester and fined three JNUSU office bearers, including its president, vice-president and general secretary, following a protest against the installation of a facial recognition-based access system at the varsity’s central library in August, The Indian Express has learnt.

According to official orders issued by the Chief Proctor on October 28, Manikant Patel, a PhD scholar at the Centre for the Study of Regional Development (CSRD), has been rusticated for one semester, and declared out of bounds from the JNU campus with immediate effect. He has also been fined Rs 15,000.

The Gurgaon Municipal Corporation has collected more than Rs 261 crore in property tax in the current financial year 2025-26, said Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya after a virtual meeting.

A civic body official told The Indian Express that the target is to reach Rs 400 crore in property tax collection this year, and that the tax branch has been issued clear instructions to ensure no laxity in recovery efforts.

A man in his early 20s was killed after he was allegedly tied to a truck and hit repeatedly on the head with a brick at Northwest Delhi’s Keshavpuram on October 20. One person was arrested in connection to the incident on Tuesday.

Police said the accused, Amit alias Pawwa, allegedly killed Daya Kishan as he wanted to “gain notoriety”.

After two cloud seeding trials failed to produce rain in Delhi, the government did not conduct another scheduled trial due to insufficient moisture in the air.

Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said another round of cloud seeding is slated in the coming days, depending on the weather and humidity conditions. He said the initiative reflected a “science-driven, evidence-based approach” to improving Delhi’s air.

A blanket of haze and fog enveloped Delhi on Thursday morning, pushing the city’s air quality into the “very poor” category after remaining “poor” for the past few days. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the national capital recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 357, compared to 279 a day earlier. The dip in air quality was accompanied by reduced visibility across several parts of the city, as fog and calm winds trapped pollutants close to the ground.

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