Delhi News Highlights: SC eases GRAP IV measures, asks Delhi govt to implement GRAP III provisions till AQI improves further

BJP leader Pravesh Ratan, who unsuccessfully contested the Patel Nagar reserved constituency in the 2020 Delhi Assembly polls, joined the Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday.

Ratan, who belongs to the Jatav community, joined the AAP in the presence of senior leaders Manish Sisodia and Durgesh Pathak at the party's headquarters here.

Rahul ji is on constitutional post, has constitutional right; he should be allowed to meet Sambhal victims' families: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (PTI)

MP KC Venugopal said in a post on X, "Our delegation headed to Sambhal led by LOP Shri@RahulGandhiji and Smt.@priyankagandhi ji has been stopped at the UP border in Ghaziabad. What is the reason behind the UP Government stopping the Lok Sabha LOP from visiting the families of those who lost their lives in the violence? It is basic humanity to stand by someone who has suffered such grief and loss. Rahul ji’s motto has been ‘Nafrat ke bazaar mein mohabbat ki dukaan’. And when the ruling regime has created an atmosphere of hatred, it is our duty as the opposition to bring compassion, empathy and love. We are determined to meet the victims’ families in the interest of peace and communal harmony in our country, the UP government must allow the delegation to visit Sambhal."

A major traffic jam occurred on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway at the Ghazipur border as Congress workers gathered, defying heavy barricades set up ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh. The Uttar Pradesh Police had deployed barricades and were checking vehicles to prevent any potential disturbances.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Swatantra Kumar Singh confirmed they had received intelligence about the gathering and had increased security measures to prevent any incidents.

Due to prohibitory orders in Sambhal, police officials stated that Rahul Gandhi would be stopped at the UP gate in Ghaziabad on his way to the district. The curbs, which were initially set to expire on Sunday, have now been extended until December 31.

Ghaziabad Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra made it clear that Rahul Gandhi would not be permitted to enter Sambhal due to these prohibitory orders.

The Congress delegation, led by Gandhi, is scheduled to visit Sambhal on Wednesday. It will include five other Congress MPs from Uttar Pradesh, and possibly Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the newly-elected MP from Wayanad.

Tensions in Sambhal have been rising since November 19, following a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque amid claims that it had been built on the site of a former Harihar temple. The situation escalated on November 24, when violence broke out during a second survey, resulting in clashes between protesters and security personnel. Four people were killed, and many others were injured. (PTI)

OVER 15 days after severe pollution resulted in a construction ban in the Capital, taking a toll on the workforce, the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (DBOCWWB) on Tuesday said an ex-gratia of Rs 8,000 each will be disbursed to around 90,000 eligible workers.

As of November 25, 90,759 workers registered with DBOCWWB have been identified as “tentative beneficiaries”, who are to undergo verification to be eligible for the aid, which would be transferred via the direct benefit transfer (DBT) mode.

As per the process, the disbursement of funds can take place once the workers who have registered themselves or applied for renewals complete their verification process with DBOCWWB. (Read More)

Delhi's AQI at 8 am was 211 in the 'poor' category. Shadipur with AQI 287 followed by Nehru Nagar AQI 274, were the spots leading in pollution. There were no stations in the 'very poor' or 'severe' category.

Northwesterly wind of 11.1 Kmph was observed by the IMD as of 8.30 am.

The minimum temperature recorded in Delhi was 12 degrees Celsius on Wednesday which is above normal by around 2 notches.

Amidst the slogans of 'Modi Sarkar Hye Hye and Sambhal mein logo ko insaaf do', the 8 lanes Ghazipur highway is witnessing a huge traffic snarl.

Over 200 police personnel of Ghaziabad police are deployed at the site as one of the lane moving from Delhi to Ghaziabad has been barricaded allowing very slow movement for the traffic.