Page 13 - Delhi Government

RSS body slams Delhi govt ban on all kinds of firecrackers during Diwali

The RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch on Saturday slammed the AAP-led Delhi government over the imposition of a complete ban on all kinds of firecrackers in the city, terming the move "inappropriate and unscientific". It also alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal government's "blanket ban" on firecrackers was aimed at misguiding people and diverting their attention from the real cause of air pollution in the national capital. Government agencies have failed to solve the problem of stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and other parts of the country even though it is the "biggest source" of air pollution in the national capital and the surrounding northern states, the SJM said without naming anyone. "The SJM strongly opposes the complete ban on firecrackers by the Delhi government during the festival of Diwali as it is inappropriate," it said in a statement. "The SJM also urges all state governments to make efforts to find a permanent solution to the problem of stubble burning and

Delhi CM Kejriwal okays celebration of Chhath Puja along Yamuna ghats

The Chhath festival is set to get back its old flavour and will be celebrated this year along the Yamuna at all the 1,100 ghats in the city. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has approved the proposal by Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot to allow the celebration of Chhath Puja at different ghats along the Yamuna in Delhi, an official statement said. In view of the approval, directions have been issued to all district magistrates that additional measures may be taken for ensuring that no polluting material is immersed in the river, it said. Measures including banners, posters, audio messages at sites, deployment of CDVs may be employed for ensuring the guidelines issued by the NGT, it added. Earlier, a concern had been conveyed regarding construction of Puja ghats near the Yamuna and the offerings by the devotees at such ghats, which might lead to pollution in the river. Various orders/instructions issued by the National Green Tribunal as well as the directions issued by National Missio

Delhi govt to launch campaign for curbing vehicular pollution from Oct 28

The Delhi government will launch the "Red Light on Gaadi off" campaign again to curb vehicular pollution from October 28, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Friday. Under the campaign, first launched on October 16, 2020, to cut down vehicular pollution in the national capital, drivers are encouraged to switch off their vehicles while waiting for the traffic light to turn green. At a press conference, Rai said experts are of the view that pollution levels may increase in Delhi after Diwali if the wind direction changes. "The Delhi government is on alert. We are strictly implementing all the directions of the Commission for Air Quality Management. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday reviewed the implementation of the 15-point action plan to curb air pollution in winter," he said. Along with dust and biomass burning, vehicular emissions is one of the major contributors to Delhi's pollution generated locally, the environment minister said. "Therefore, the Delhi government has

Bow to all policemen who laid down their lives in line of duty: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday paid tribute to police martyrs and said he bowed to all brave policemen who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. On Police Commemoration Day, he took to Twitter to also say that his government "always takes care" of the families of such policemen. "On 'Police Memorial Day', I bow to all the brave policemen who sacrificed their lives in the service of the public while performing their duty with full devotion. "Our government always takes care of the families of all such brave policemen," Kejriwal tweeted. The Police Commemoration Day is observed in the memory of 10 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel who were killed on this day in 1959 in an ambush by Chinese troops in Ladakh's Hot Spring area.

BJP leaders dub Delhi govt 'anti-Hindu' over cracker ban ahead of Diwali

BJP leaders on Thursday targeted the Delhi government over the complete ban on firecrackers, dubbing the Arvind Kejriwal-led dispensation "anti-Hindu". The Kejriwal government said the ban on crackers was imposed on the orders of Supreme Court and the BJP leaders were showing disrespect to the court. Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should allow people in Delhi to burst crackers for two-three hours on Diwali. Party leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga termed the Kejriwal government as "anti Hindu" and said that it earlier banned Chhath celebration on Yamuna bank and was now trying to prevent cracker bursting on Diwali. The Delhi government, in a statement, said the cracker ban was imposed by the Supreme Court in view of health of the people. "In such a situation, the BJP leaders were disrespecting the Supreme Court order and indulging in dirty politics over health of the people," the statement said. The AAP government also questioned the BJP why it was mum

Delhi govt withdraws Rs 500 fine for not wearing masks in public places

The Delhi government on Thursday issued an order withdrawing the Rs 500 fine for not wearing masks in public places in the national capital. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) had in a meeting last month decided to stop levying the penalty after September 30 amid a decline in COVID-19 cases in the national capital. However, no official notification had been issued.

Professsors from 12 DU colleges get full salary after 3 months of delay

Ad-hoc teachers, guest teachers, and contractual teachers constitute upto 50 to 60 per cent of employees in the above mentioned colleges

Stubble burning: Bio-decomposer to be sprayed in Delhi fields from today

The Delhi government will start spraying Pusa bio-decomposer in agricultural fields to prevent stubble burning in the capital from Tuesday, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said. Prepared by scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) here, the Pusa bio-decomposer is a microbial solution which can turn paddy straw into manure in 15-20 days. The solution will be sprayed on 5,000 acres of basmati and non-basmati fields in the capital this year. The Pusa bio-decomposer was used on 4,300 acres of land belonging to 844 farmers in Delhi last year. In 2020, 310 farmers had used it on 1,935 acres of land. The Delhi government has set up 21 teams to create awareness about the effectiveness of bio-decomposer and register farmers who want to use the solution in their fields. According to officials, spraying of bio-decomposer costs just Rs 30 per acre. In 2021, a third-party audit conducted to ascertain the impact of the microbial solution in Delhi showed that it was 95 per

Delhi records 635 new dengue infections in first half of October: Report

Of the 1,572 dengue cases recorded this year, as many as 693 were reported in September alone

Without ideology or loyalty: Arvind Kejriwal and his pursuit of power

Rajendra Pal Gautam, Tahir Hussain and Amanatullah Khan have joined a long list of colleagues who have been left high and dry by Kejriwal. They were, in the end, mere props in his pursuit of power

Excise policy scam: CBI summons Manish Sisodia for questioning on Monday

The CBI has summoned Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday for questioning in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the excise policy for the national capital, officials said. The federal probe agency has asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader to appear before it at its headquarters at 11 am on Monday, they added. In a tweet on Sunday, Sisodia said: "CBI raid was conducted at my house for 14 hours, nothing came out. Searched my bank locker, nothing came out in it. They did not find anything in my village. Now they have called me to CBI Headquarters at 11 am tomorrow. I will go and give my full cooperation. Satyameva Jayate." The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has questioned a number of people, including Sameer Mahendru, the owner of Indo Spirits, Amit Arora, the director of Buddy Retail Private Limited in Gurugram, and India Ahead News managing director Mootha Gautam, in connection with the case, the officials said. The ..

BJP responsible for Rs 900-crore fine slapped by NGT on Delhi govt: AAP

The AAP blamed the BJP on Friday for the imposition of a Rs 900-crore fine by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the Delhi government for improper management of solid municipal waste and demanded that the civic body polls be held in the city "at the earliest". Addressing a press conference here, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Durgesh Pathak said the people of the national capital will have to pay the price for the "inefficiency" of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which is run by the BJP. There was no immediate reaction from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the allegation levelled by the AAP. "We demand that the MCD polls be held at the earliest so that the people of Delhi can oust the BJP from the civic body," Pathak, who is the AAP's MCD poll in-charge, said. The NGT directed the Delhi government on Wednesday to pay Rs 900 crore as environmental compensation for improper management of solid municipal waste, observing that citizens cannot be faced with an emergency ...

Delhi govt allocates Rs 25 cr for Chhath Puja celebrations at 1,100 sites

The Delhi government has made grand preparations for Chhath Puja at 1,100 sites and allocated Rs 25 crore for the festival, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday. Chhath will be celebrated on October 30 and 31. During a digital media briefing, the chief minister said his government has made preparations such as washrooms, ambulances, first-aid and power backup at the sites. He stressed that the Delhi Police was fully supporting in the security aspect and CCTV cameras would be installed at various locations. "For the last two years, the festivities were affected due to the pandemic. Since the formation of our government in 2014, the celebrations have become bigger. Earlier before we came to power, the government would allocate Rs 2.5 crore for making preparations at 69 sites, but now, the budget has grown to 25 crore and the sites to 1,100," Kejriwal said. He urged people to pray to Chhathi Maiyya not just for themselves but for the country for relief from the coronavirus.

Work underway on Delhi's stretches marked for redevelopment, beautification

The Delhi government has identified several stretches of roads for redevelopment and beautification under its streetscaping project

Only tank-up vehicles with PUC certificate: Delhi govt tells petrol pumps

The Delhi government on Wednesday asked all petrol pumps to provide fuel only to those vehicle owners with valid Pollution Under Control certificates for their vehicles. A notice issued by the Transport Department directed all vehicle owners whose vehicles are more than a year old from the date of registration (except electric or battery-driven vehicles) to get their vehicle checked for a Pollution Under Control certificate (PUCC). The department has also asked the vehicle owners to obtain valid PUCC before October 25 to avoid inconvenience and action as per law. "Driving a vehicle without a valid PUCC is liable to attract a penalty of Rs. 10,000 and imprisonment up to three months or with both," the notice read. The Environment Department is also considering issuing a notification mandating all dealers of the petrol, diesel and CNG pumps to sell fuels to motor vehicles only on production of valid PUCC from October 25, it said.

Now, motorcycles part of Delhi govt's bus lane enforcement vehicles

Motorcycles were inducted for the first time for the Delhi government's bus lane enforcement on Tuesday, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying that they will be able to pass on narrow roads, something that was impossible for the Innova cars. Kejriwal on Tuesday flagged off 66 enforcement vehicles, including 36 motorcycles and 30 Innova cars. He flagged them off along with 50 CNG low-floor cluster buses. For the first time, motorcycles are being inducted. These vehicles would mostly be utilised for lane enforcement. In the past, we observed it was difficult for an Innova to pass on narrow roads for enforcement. Motorcycles will solve that problem and ensure that lane rules be enforced effectively," he said. The government began lane enforcement in April and has received positive results from this move, the CM said. "People have now developed a habit of driving in their lanes and they are following the rule on their own. We are not far from the time when the transport system of

Delhi govt asks hospitals to reserve beds for vector-borne disease patients

Taking cognisance of the rise in vector-borne disease cases, especially dengue, the Delhi government has asked all the hospitals to reserve 10-15 per cent of their beds for such patients.

Delhi's new excise policy likely to be delayed as committee seeks more time

The Delhi government's new excise policy (2022-23) is likely to be delayed as a high-level committee formed to frame its broad outlines has sought more time to submit its report, officials have said. The committee constituted in August includes principal secretary finance, principal secretary revenue, excise commissioner and an expert member. The Excise Policy 2021-22 was withdrawn in July by the Delhi government after a CBI probe was recommended by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena into alleged irregularities in its implementation. Announcing the withdrawal of the Excise Policy 2021-22, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said a new policy will be framed within six months. The committee formed to give recommendations for the excise policy 2022-23 was stipulated to submit its report within one month. However, it could not do so due to various reasons including the ongoing CBI probe into the excise policy 2021-22, the officials said. "The committee has asked the government for m

Delhi govt waives late payment surcharge on water bills till Dec 31

The Delhi government has decided to waive the late payment surcharge (LPSC) on the water bills of domestic and commercial consumers under the last rebate scheme till December 31 this year

CBI arrests Hyderabad-based businessman in Delhi excise policy case

The CBI has arrested a Hyderabad-based businessman in connection with the alleged Delhi excise policy scam in which Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is also an accused, officials said on Monday. Abhishek Boinpally, who was allegedly lobbying for certain liquor businessmen based in southern India, was called for questioning on Sunday. The agency found him evading certain key questions and took him into custody late at night, they said. Boinpally is not named as an accused in the Central Bureau of Investigation FIR pertaining to the case but his close associate and partner Arun Ramchandra Pillai is. The two founded Robin Distribution LLP in July this year, according to Registrar of Companies (RoC) database. It is alleged that Pillai had collected bribes from Sameer Mahendru of Indospirit for onward transmission to businessman and AAP leader Vijay Nair, who was arrested by the CBI in the case last month, the officials said. Boinpally was allegedly involved in the "cartelization"