Over the next six days, the minimum temperature is likely to be 8 or 9 degrees. (File)Delhi Live News: Another day of ‘very poor’ air quality is on the forecast for Delhi on Sunday, with calm conditions that are not conducive for the dispersion of pollutants. The AQI has been in the ‘severe’ category for the past two days. On Saturday, the AQI stood at 402, slightly above the threshold of 401 for the ‘severe’ category, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). AQI between 401 and 500 is considered ‘severe.’
Meanwhile, deputy CM Manish Sisodia has appealed to people to avoid unnecessary gatherings, adding that all government departments are on high alert in the wake of the new Covid-19 variant — Omicron. He stated that a DDMA meeting has been called on Monday to discuss the issue, PTI reported.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, too, has raised concerns about the Omicron variant. On Sunday, he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to stop international flights from regions seeing a rise in Covid-19 cases and prevent the new variant of concern from entering India.
A foot over bridge in bad condition near Anand Vihar, in New Delhi. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)
A 19-year-old man was apprehended by the CISF at the Kashmere Gate Delhi Metro station for carrying a country-made pistol and a live bullet round in his luggage, an official said on Sunday.
They said the passenger was intercepted at the station on Saturday during security check.
Since carrying arms and ammunition is banned inside the metro network and the man could not furnish a government authorisation for carrying the pistol and the 8mm bore bullet, he was handed over to the local police for investigation, said a CISF official.
The man, a resident of Pratapgarh district in Uttar Pradesh, works as a carpenter in Gurugram, said the official. (PTI)
A Delhi court has allowed police to take the voice samples of Hindu Rakshak Dal president Pinky Chaudhary, advocate Ashwani Upadhyay and other accused in a case related to alleged raising communal slogans near Jantar Mantar in August.
Metropolitan Magistrate Prayank Nayak allowed the plea of Delhi Police, saying the voice samples were necessary to ascertain the role of the accused in raising slogans and giving speeches on August 8.
The court directed Chaudhary, Upadhaya and other co-accused -- Vinod Sharma, Deepak Singh, Sushil Tiwari, Vineet Vajpai, Preet Singh and Uttam Upadhaya -- to make themselves available for giving their voice samples as and when informed by the investigating officer (IO) of the case.
The police have charged the accused with various offences, including raising communal slogans and inciting the youth to propagate against a particular religion, at a rally at Jantar Mantar. (PTI)
Financial assistance worth Rs 5,000 each was deposited on Saturday in the accounts of 2.95 lakh construction workers, according to a communication from the Delhi government.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced financial aid for construction workers who have been impacted by the ban on construction and demolition activities in order to mitigate air pollution. The remaining workers are likely to receive the amount over the next two days.
Additional registration drives will be held through camps organised in the city for the workers who are not registered. read more
In a bid to help drug addicts and create awareness about illicit drugs, the Northwest district of the Delhi Police helped admit almost 20 people to rehabilitation centres. The drug de-addiction drive was started two months ago and repeat offenders who were often caught with drugs and booked under the NDPS Act were identified and counselled.
The operation, mainly conducted in the Jahangirpuri area, was headed by the Station House Officer. The officer said, “We found that many of these offenders are young boys from financially weaker backgrounds. They wanted to work and felt bad about being judged for being an addict, but weren’t able to leave drugs. We asked them to stay at rehab centres for a few months. Two months later, three of them have been discharged. Several others are undergoing therapy. We are seeing a change in people.” Read more
Anticipating a harsher winter this year, discoms have estimated that the national capital's power demand will go up to 5400 MW, surpassing the peak winter demand in the previous two years, officials said.
Last year, Delhi's peak power demand in winter had peaked to 5021 MW and in 2019 it was 5343 MW, discom officials said. A BSES spokesperson said the peak winter power demand in BRPL and BYPL areas had reached 2091 MW and 1107 MW respectively during last winter. This year, it is expected to reach 2315 MW and 1140 MW for BRPL and BYPL respectively.
Accurate demand (load) forecasting is critical for reliable power supply. It is done on various parameters like day-ahead, intra-day basis and medium term (from a fortnight to one year). Among other aspects, weather parameters like temperature, rainfall, cloud coverage, wind speed and direction, and humidity play an important role in accurate demand forecast, officials said. Ensuring reliable power supply in any season is as much the function of proper power arrangements as also accurate demand forecast and robust distribution network.
On all these aspects, BSES discoms are fully geared to ensure adequate power availability for its around 46 lakh consumers during the winter months, said the BSES spokesperson. (PTI)
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday said that all government departments are on high alert in the wake of a new Covid-19 variant and appealed to people to avoid unnecessary gatherings. Sisodia said that government departments, especially health, have been instructed to again enhance infrastructure and other necessary facilities to tackle any possible threat of the new variant.
"We are all alert about the new variant. A DDMA meeting has been called (on Monday) on this. If even a single person carrying the new variant comes to Delhi, it will spread fast, so please do not mingle unnecessarily," Sisodia said. (PTI)
Delhi BJP MP Gautam Gambhir received an e-mail on Sunday threatening to kill him and his family, days after getting similar messages from Karachi in Pakistan. Sunday’s message came from an email id called “ISIS Kashmir”. The mail, this time, even mentioned that “Delhi Police and IPS Shweta Chauhan (who is a DCP (Central District)) cannot do anything”.
Sources told The Indian Express that the email was received at around 1.37 am from isiskasmir@yahoo.com. “In the email, they have mentioned that Delhi Police and IPS Shweta cannot do anything as their spies are also present in the forces,” the sources added. read more
The Aam Aadmi Party leader in the Rajya Sabha, Sanjay Singh, staged a walk out from the meeting alleging that Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi stopped him from speaking after he demanded the resignation of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra over the Lakhimpur-Kheri incident.
The government wants to clash with the farmers. It is bringing an anti-farmer Electricity (amendment) Bill. MSP guarantee does not find mention in the list of bills to be introduced. Why has the territorial jurisdiction of the BSF been increased in Punjab? I walked out of the meeting after Pralhad Joshi stopped me from speaking after I demanded the resignation of Ajay Mishra,” Singh tweeted.
The B.1.1.529 variant of the novel coronavirus was labelled as a Variant of Concern by the World Health Organisation on Saturday. "We should do everything possible to prevent the new variant of concern, recently recognised by WHO, from entering India. A number of countries, including the European Union, have suspended travel to the affected regions. I urge you to stop flights from these regions with immediate effect," Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote.
Deputy CM Manish Sisodia has issued a list of 250 schools in response to Punjab Education Minister Pargat Singh's suggestion to compare 250 government schools in both states to debate on their respective education models. Sisodia had earlier suggested that they compare 10 schools and Singh had suggested this be increased to 250.
"All these schools are up to class 12. These are schools where a lot of work had been done on infrastructure, these are schools with 99-100% board exam pass percentages. In this (list), we also have such schools where 50 students have cleared NEET this year... In this list, we also have such schools where five students from one school have cleared JEE Advanced... I ask that the Punjab Education Minister also issue such a list by this evening so that we can visit them with the media..." Sisodia said.
Foggy conditions are likely to persist all week. The relative humidity at 8.30 a.m. was 93%, while the temperature at the same time was 13.2 degree Celsius.
The minimum temperature on Sunday is likely to settle at 11 degree Celsius and the maximum could be around 27 degree Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department forecast. Over the past 24 hours, the minimum temperature recorded was around 10.8 degree Celsius, about a degree above the normal for this time of the year. The minimum temperature over the upcoming week is likely to range from 9 degree Celsius to 12 degree Celsius, as per the IMD forecast.
Another day of ‘very poor’ air quality is on the forecast for Delhi on Sunday, with calm conditions that are not conducive for the dispersion of pollutants.
The AQI has been in the ‘severe’ category for the past two days. On Saturday, the AQI stood at 402, slightly above the threshold of 401 for the ‘severe’ category, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). AQI between 401 and 500 is considered ‘severe.’
Although winds are likely to be stronger on Monday and Tuesday, bringing marginal improvement in air quality, the AQI is still likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category, according to the forecast from the Air Quality Early Warning System. For five days subsequently as well, AQI may remain in the ‘very poor’ category. (With Abhinya Harigovind)
A student who lost his father to Covid earlier this year, three generations of one family, a farmer carrying over two quintals of orange — as the farm protests on Delhi’s borders completed one year Friday, they were joined by a new set of participants at Singhu.
Many of them, from Punjab and Haryana, were visiting for the first time, in celebration of the “victory” over the three farm laws. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent announcement, the laws are set to be repealed in the Parliament session starting Monday.
Amongst the crowd, which sang songs, danced on tractors and held community feasts, was Amin Khan, 20, who had come to the protest site from Patiala, with his uncle and relatives. His father Major Khan, 47 — who retited as a Naik Subedar from the Army after 21 years of service — who came to Singhu on November 26 last year, died of Covid-related complications in May.
Delhi University (DU) Vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh on Friday said the current system of admissions at the university had “issues” that needed to be addressed, as different school boards marked students differently creating a discrepancy.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Singh said, “In the present system, there are issues which are to be addressed. We cannot ignore the performances of students of different boards, like Uttar Pradesh Board… They are not liberal vis-à-vis other boards. They are very tight while giving marks. So their students may be suffering; they are. If they want to take admissions in Delhi University, they don’t have a fair chance.”
He said DU was looking at how to conduct admissions next year, and the process would be finalised in an Academic Council (AC) meeting on December 10, after approval from the Executive Council (EC) on December 17.
A man was booked for allegedly posing as an IAS officer and conning a person by promising to offer him and his relatives jobs through his contacts.
According to the police, the complainant, a resident of Jharsa, said that he met a man, who identified himself as one Roshan Pandey. Pandey allegedly told the complainant that he was working as a Joint Secretary in Ministry of Home Affairs, said police. Police said the complainant said that the accused promised him that he could get him and his brother-in-law a job in the army and DRDO through an IAS quota and took over Rs 85, 000 from him.
A police officer, requesting anonymity, said, “The complainant said that he trusted the accused since he used to post his pictures on whatsapp with a government ID and shared several government orders on whatsapp with him. The accused had also taken several documents from him on the pretext of getting the complainant a job.”
Free speech is not to be exercised only if it falls in line with the majoritarian view and right to dissent is the essence of a vibrant democracy, the Delhi High Court has said while dismissing a plea to stop the publication, circulation and sale of Congress leader Salman Khurshid's new book.
Justice Yashwant Varma, who was dealing with the plea which claimed the book "Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood In Our Times" "impinges upon the faith of others", said that rights guaranteed by the Constitution, including free speech, cannot be restricted or denied on perceived apprehension of being unpalatable and a democracy governed by the rule of law would be placed in serious peril if creative voices were stifled or intellectual freedom is suppressed.
In his six-page order, the judge quoted Voltaire, "While I wholly disagree of what you say, I will defend to the death your right to say it" and said that free speech "must be zealously protected" unless the work conclusively falls foul of the constitutional or statutory restrictions.
"The right to dissent or to have and express a contrarian view with respect to current affairs or historical events are the essence of a vibrant democracy. That fundamental and precious right guaranteed by our Constitution can neither be restricted nor denied merely on the perceived apprehension of the view being unpalatable or disagreeable to some. The freedom to freely express ideas and opinions cannot be permitted to be overshadowed by the ominous cloud of being non-conformist," the court said in its order passed on November 25. (PTI)
A Delhi court on Saturday took cognisance of the chargesheets filed by the CBI and the ED against former Union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis case and summoned them on December 20.
Special Judge MK Nagpal passed the order after noting that there was sufficient evidence to summon Chidambaram and the other accused in the corruption and money-laundering cases lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) respectively.
The CBI and ED had earlier informed the court that letters rogatory were sent to the United Kingdom and Singapore, seeking certain information regarding the probe, and there were some developments in that regard. Read More
With the WHO designating B.1.1.529 as a “variant of concern”, ILBS head Dr SK Sarin, who has worked closely with the Delhi government on Covid response and preparedness, has urged caution “for at least the next six months, till June 2022”.
His remarks came on a day Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop flights from countries where the new variant has been detected.
The variant was announced by scientists in South Africa on Thursday, and was detected in two more countries, Israel and Belgium. Germany, Botswana, Hong Kong are the other countries where the variant has been found. Read More
A man was booked for allegedly posing as an IAS officer and conning a person by promising to offer him and his relatives jobs through his contacts.
According to the police, the complainant, a resident of Jharsa, said that he met a man, who identified himself as one Roshan Pandey. Pandey allegedly told the complainant that he was working as a Joint Secretary in Ministry of Home Affairs, said police. Police said the complainant said that the accused promised him that he could get him and his brother-in-law a job in the army and DRDO through an IAS quota and took over Rs 85, 000 from him.
A police officer, requesting anonymity, said, “The complainant said that he trusted the accused since he used to post his pictures on whatsapp with a government ID and shared several government orders on whatsapp with him. The accused had also taken several documents from him on the pretext of getting the complainant a job.” Read More
The air quality index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded in the 'very poor' category on Saturday morning, according to data issued by the Central Pollution Control Board. It is expected to improve from November 29 onwards due to high wind speed. Local surface winds are likely to increase slightly for the next two days, dispersing pollutants and leading to a slight improvement in the air pollution, but the AQI will be in the "higher end of the very poor" category, officials said.
The share of stubble burning in Delhi's PM2.5 pollution was eight per cent. "Mixing layer height and wind are the dominant factors controlling air quality. From November 29, significant improvement in AQI is expected due to high wind speed," said the Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor SAFAR on Friday.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop flights from countries which are affected by the new Omicron variant that originated in southern Africa. "With great difficulty, our country has recovered from coronavirus. We should do everything possible to prevent this new variant from entering India," Kejriwal wrote on Twitter.
Delhi's Department of Environment & Forests has issued an order banning entry of trucks in the national capital except those carrying essential commodities from today till November 30, ANI reported.
Freedom of expressing ideas and opinions cannot be allowed to be overshadowed by the ominous cloud of being non-conformist, the Delhi High Court has said while dismissing a plea to stop the publication, circulation and sale of Congress leader Salman Khurshid's new book.
Former Union Minister Khurshid has sparked a controversy by reportedly comparing a "robust version" of Hindutva to the jihadist Islam of terror groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram in his book 'Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times'. While refusing to interfere with the sale and publication of the book, the high court posed what can the court do if people were "feeling so sensitive". Ask people "not to buy or read the book" instead, the High Court commented. The petition by lawyer Vineet Jindal had claimed that Khurshid's book "impinges upon the faith of others".
No case of the new coronavirus variant 'Nu' has been detected at the Delhi airport among the passengers who were transiting or coming from countries identified to be "at risk", the laboratory which has been tasked with conducting the tests said on Friday.
The Centre had on Thursday asked all states and union territories to conduct rigorous screening and testing of all international travellers coming from or transiting through South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana, where 'Nu' has been detected.
Various countries such as Britain, Germany, Singapore, Israel, France and Italy have restricted air travel from southern Africa where the new coronavirus variant, which causes serious health implications, has been reported.
Delhi’s air quality deteriorated once again to reach the ‘severe’ category Friday, with an AQI of 406, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) bulletin.
Calm conditions and low wind speed have made the dispersion of pollutants difficult. The SAFAR forecasting system indicates that wind speed could pick up over the next two days. The air quality will remain in the upper end of the ‘very poor’ category, the forecast issued Friday said. From November 29, an increase in wind speed could lead to a “significant improvement” in air quality, the forecast read. Contribution of stubble burning to PM 2.5 levels in Delhi was around 8% on Friday, as per the SAFAR system.
Out of 36 monitoring stations, a total of 21 recorded a 24-hour average AQI in ‘severe’ category.
The Aam Aadmi Party members on Friday took out a candle march against the BJP-ruled municipal corporations over non-payment of salaries to doctors and paramedical staff. Senior doctors of North Delhi Municipal Corporation-run hospitals and other facilities are set to go on an "indefinite strike" from Monday over the issue of non-payment of salaries and arrears. The Aam Aadmi Party barricaded the Civic Centre and took out a candle march.
The Delhi High Court Friday said a democracy governed by the rule of law would be placed in a serious peril if creative voices were stifled or intellectual freedom is suppressed or suffocated.
Quoting Voltaire in the order, the court said, “While I wholly disagree of what you say, I will defend to the death your right to say it”.
“The freedoms guaranteed by Article 19 are not liable to be freely expressed only if they fall in line with a majoritarian view. The right to dissent or to have and express a contrarian view with respect to current affairs or historical events are the essence of a vibrant democracy,” said Justice Yashwant Varma in the order dismissing a petition seeking ban on Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s latest book in which he equates Hindutva groups with terror outfits like Islamic State and Boko Haram. (With Sofi Ahsan)
A 30-year-old auto driver was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman. Police said the accused allegedly took the woman in his auto-rickshaw and molested her at an isolated spot. When she screamed and resisted, he snatched her phone and fled. The incident took place on Wednesday evening.
Delhi airport's wind data shows that calm winds were observed till 1 pm on November 26 and then from 4 pm till the evening.
Light winds, which were mostly easterly, with a speed of 5-7 kmph were observed. Visibility at the Safderjung airport was around 300-500 meters till 10 am and improved marginally to 800-1,000 meters thereafter. The poor visibility has been attributed to the smog cover.
This is second time such poor visibility conditions have been reported in the city this month.
Visibility at the Indira Gandhi International Airport was around 1,000-1,500 meters during morning hours and later improved to nearly 1500-2200 meters for the rest of the day.
The Congress party is going to organise a 'mahangai hatao' rally, which will be addressed by the party's interim president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi, in the national capital on December 12.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday congratulated farmers on the success of their movement, and said their victory is the victory of democracy and the AAP government supports their demands.
The Delhi Assembly on Friday passed a resolution seeking repeal of the three farm laws, compensation to families of over 700 farmers who died during protests and legal guarantee of minimum support price of crops.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the three farm laws against which the farmers were protesting will be repealed.
Replying to a discussion on a resolution tabled in the House to repeal the contentious farm laws, Kejriwal said in the Assembly, 'The victory of farmers is the victory of democracy. We support pending demands of farmers, we are with them''.
The resolution was passed with a voice vote by the Assembly. (PTI)
Delhi minister Gopal Rai introduced a resolution in the Delhi Assembly, demanding compensation from the centre for farmers and protesters who died in during the course of farm protests across the country.
"This Assembly supports the valid demand for legal guarantee of MSP. It demands that cases filed against protesters in different states for protesting peacefully against the farm laws be withdrawn. It also demands that union minister Ajay Kumar Mishra be removed from his post and be arrested for his role in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, in which innocent people were killed," said Rai.
As a group offered prayers at a site near Sector- 37 police station in Gurgoan on Friday, a few people offered namaz barely a few meters apart.
Locals and members of right wing groups on Friday occupied a site near Sector- 37 police station in Gurgoan where namaz was offered last week and conducted a havan, claiming to pay homage to people who were killed on November 26, 2008 in Mumbai terrorist attacks.
With the protests against the Centre’s contentious farm laws completing a year, farmers in large numbers gathered at the three border points of Delhi -- Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur — today. Take a look at images from the Tikri border here.
Photos by Amil Bhatnagar
As a new heavily mutated variant of Covid-19 emerged in South Africa, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has assured to take all the necessary steps to protect the people of Delhi. "We have requested experts to make a presentation to Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Monday and suggest what steps we should take," Kejriwal wrote on Twitter.
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear the plea of an NGO challenging the Delhi High Court order which upheld the Centre’s decision to appoint senior IPS officer Rakesh Asthana as Delhi Police Commissioner.
A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and A S Bopanna issued notice to the Centre and Asthana and sought their response on the plea of the NGO, the Centre for Public Interest Litigation.
A 50-year-old farmer died while an 80-year-old farmer was seriously injured after a speeding truck allegedly hit a trolley, which was part of a convoy headed to the Tikri border protest site to participate in the first anniversary of the farmers’ protests, on Wednesday night in Gohana, said police. The truck driver was arrested before he was released on bail, said police.
Police said farmers blocked the highway for more than two hours after the incident.
According to police, the incident took place at Mahra Chowk on the Gohana-Rohtak highway when several trolleys from Punjab that were going to the Tikri border had stopped near a dhaba for a breather.
Read more here
A day after the Supreme Court told the Delhi government to continue with its ban on construction and demolition, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the government will transfer Rs 5,000 to the accounts of each worker to help them tide over the financial crisis.
The government had earlier lifted a nearly week-long ban on construction and demolition because of rising pollution levels in the city. The AQI had dipped to the severe range in the whole of NCR last week. Since then, the air quality has improved to poor and very poor. However, according to the forecast, the AQI will be in the upper range of very poor for the next two days.
The Delhi government had last year transferred Rs 5,000 into the accounts of cab and rickshaw drivers as well as construction workers after they were hit hard by the pandemic.
At Jahangirpuri, the 24-hour average AQI at 9 am was 469, while the AQI at Chandni Chowk was 440. The station at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium recorded an AQI of 412, Anand Vihar registered 445, and Mandir Marg recorded 408.
Delhi’s air quality could be in the upper end of the ‘very poor’ category, or reach the ‘severe’ category on Friday, according to a morning update from the Air Quality Early Warning System.
Out of 36 monitoring stations for which data was available at 9 am on Friday, 21 stations recorded a 24-hour average AQI in the ‘severe’ category, going by data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). AQI between 401 and 500 is considered ‘severe’, while AQI in the 301 to 400 range is categorised as ‘very poor’.
The bulletin from the Air Quality Early Warning System said that wind speed is likely to be low, at around 4 to 6 kmph, on Friday. The AQI on Thursday was in the ‘very poor’ category, at 400, nearly bordering the ‘severe’ category, as per the 4 pm CPCB bulletin.
The Delhi High Court has sentenced a man to simple imprisonment of three months and imposed a cost of Rs 2,000 on him after ruling that he has “tried to act over smart” with the court by concealing his true income and expenditure, in defiance of court orders directing him to disclose the same. The order was passed on a contempt petition filed by the man’s wife in connection with the payment of maintenance by him.
“He has not come clean despite the grant of repeated opportunities. His conduct shows that he is defiantly disobeying the orders of the court despite being called upon to comply with them repeatedly,” said the division bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh, adding that the cost of Rs 2,000 would not meet the ends of justice and a sentence of imprisonment is necessary considering the arrears owed by him are far in excess.
Read more here
The Delhi High Court on Thursday said the decision on administering booster doses of the Covid-19 vaccine should not be based on economics, and directed the Centre to apprise the court of its stand on this issue.
The court asked why shots to boost waning immune response were not being made available in India when other countries such as the United States and those in Europe were permitting and encouraging such inoculation. It asked the Centre to submit a timeline of the proposed rollout of booster doses, if a booster was considered necessary.
The division bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh took note of conflicting media reports and medical opinions on the need and effectiveness of boosters. It noted that experts in India were of the view that there is as yet no medical evidence to support the administering of these shots.
All educational institutions including government and private schools in Gurgaon will reopen Friday, as per directions of the Haryana Government. An order dated November 25 by Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg, said all schools — government and private — as well as other educational institutes will open from Friday and will have to follow Covid protocols.
Schools had earlier been closed in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar from November 14 to 17 due to the deteriorating air quality in districts around Delhi-NCR. At the time, the government had banned all types of construction and development activities and also had prohibited stubble burning.
Read more here
The movement of farmers with several demands will complete a year on Friday with protesters in large numbers gathering at Delhi's borders to mark the occasion.
The Delhi Police on Thursday said security arrangements have been beefed up at various border points of the national capital. A number of events have been planned across the country to mark the completion of a year of the movement.
The farmers have been camping at three border points of Delhi -- Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur -- for the last one year. The movement against three new farm laws of the Centre began with a "Dilli Chalo" programme on November 26-27 last year.
The Delhi government is likely to move a resolution in Delhi Assembly’s special session on Friday to repeal the three controversial farm laws and provide compensation to families of over 700 farmers who died during the protests.
The session will also provide legal guarantee of minimum support price for crops, sources said. A demand for withdrawal of cases registered against the farmers during protests and the removal and arrest of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra in connection with the Lakhimpur incident will also be raised.
Phase I of the Noida international airport will have a capacity to serve 12 million passengers a year and is scheduled to be completed in three years.The airport will have multi-modal connectivity owing to its proximity to the existing Yamuna Expressway (Greater Noida to Agra), close to Eastern Peripheral Expressway and it will be linked with Delhi-Mumbai Expressway at Ballabhgarh, Khurja-Jewar NH 91, dedicated freight corridor, Metro Extension from Noida to NIA and the proposed High Speed Rail (Delhi-Varanasi) at airport terminal.
In a veiled attack on the Samajwadi Party, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the country has to decide if the sweetness of sugarcane will grow or the followers of Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah will cause mischief in the state.
"Some people had tried to add bitterness in the sugarcane region (western parts) of Uttar Pradesh with a series of riots. Now the country has to decide if the sweetness of sugarcane will grow or Jinnah's followers will cause mischief," PTI quoted Adityanath as saying.
Adityanath made the remarks during the foundation-laying ceremony for the Noida International Airport in the Jewar area of Gautam Buddh Nagar in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, laid the foundation stone of the Noida international airport.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has hailed the airport project as “monumental” for residents in Western UP and the NCR region.
Following the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Jewar airport, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the previous governments in Uttar Pradesh. "After seven decades of Independence, Uttar Pradesh is finally getting what it has always deserved. With the efforts of the government of double engine, today Uttar Pradesh is turning into the most connected region of the country," he said.
"The same Uttar Pradesh is leaving its mark not only nationally but internationally," he added.
Addressing the gathering in Jewar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: "The Noida International Airport will be a logistical gateway. With the speed at which the aviation sector is rising, this airport will play a major role in the sector...there will be dedicated space (40 acres) for repair, maintenance and overhaul MRO services. Nearly 15,000 crores is spent on maintenance and the revenue is gained by other countries. This airport will change that.""When air connectivity improves, tourism flourishes. Whether it is Mata Vaishno Devi or Kedarnath, the number of tourists increased after helicopter ride services started. This airport will be crucial for those visiting for pilgrimage in West UP," Prime Minister Modi said.
An investment of Rs. 34,000 will made in the region, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday. "By the last phase, it will overtake Delhi's airport and will be the biggest in the country. In 70 years, many governments only made 74 airports," he said.
"There will be 5 more international airports in UP itself due to the efforts of the government. Runway par plane, patri par train, expressway par gaadi, this is the vision of PM Modi," he added.
The Jewar airport, spread over 1,330 acres of land, will be developed by Zurich Airport International AG.
It will be the fourth largest international airport in the world and the project would create more than one lakh job opportunities, according to the Uttar Pradesh government.
The airport at Jewar will help decongest the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in the national capital. It is strategically located and will serve the people of cities including Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Agra, Faridabad and neighbouring areas, the release said.
The airport will also be the country's "first net zero emissions airport".
Read more
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Noida International Airport at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh. It will be one of the largest aerodromes in Asia.
The airport, the second international aerodrome in Delhi-National Capital Region, is expected to be operational by September 2024 with an initial capacity to handle 1.2 crore passengers per annum.
On Wednesday, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the Noida International Airport will become one of the largest airports in Asia. (PTI)
Minister of State for Civil Aviation of India Jyotiraditya Scindia addresses the gather at Jewar: "There will be investment of Rs 34,000 crore in this region. By the last phase, it will overtake Delhi's airport and become the biggest in the country. In 70 years, many governments only made 74 airports. There will be 5 more international airports in Uttar Pradesh itself due to the efforts of the government. Runway par plane, patri par train, expressway par gaadi, this is the vision of PM Modi." (Amil Bhatnagar reports)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is soon expected to address a large gathering, after laying the foundation stone of the Jewar airport. Several leaders are in attendance, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Here are some pictures from the event, as well as the proposed design for the airport. (Amil Bhatnagar reports)
Friday, November 26, marks one year of the farmers' protest at Delhi's border. To commemorate the event, thousands of farmers from Punjab and Haryana are travelling to Delhi to mark the first anniversary of their movement against the three contentious agriculture laws as well as to demand an MSP guarantee for their crops on November 26. Here are pictures:
A 40-year-old man died after a fire broke out inside a garment factory in east Delhi’s Geeta Colony on Thursday early morning. The Delhi Fire Services (DSF) said the man’s charred body was found inside the four-storey factory building around 4 am. The deceased, identified as Sanju Lal, worked at the factory during daytime and was alone when the fire broke out. Read more here