Page 14 - Delhi

Fire breaks out at multi-storied building in Delhi, no casualties reported

According to the fire services department, the blaze may have been caused by a twin-cylinder blast

Strong surface winds forecast, min temperature at 8.6 deg Celsius in Delhi

The mercury settled at 8.6 degrees Celsius in Delhi on Tuesday morning, two notches below normal, even as strong surface winds have been forecast for later in the day. The relative humidity was recorded at 56 per cent. Delhi on Monday recorded a minimum temperature of 8.7 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal. The national capital registered a high of 23.2 degrees Celsius, according to India Meteorological Department data. The maximum temperature on Tuesday is likely to settle at 25 degrees Celsius. The weatherman has predicted strong surface winds during the daytime. On Monday, Delhi logged a 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 135, the lowest since October 13, owing to chilly winds that dispersed pollutants as they swept through the city. On Tuesday, the AQI stood at 145 at 9 am, according to Central Pollution Control Board data.

Centre approves modifications, relaxations in housing regulation norms

Any person having a flat or a plot of land measuring less than 67 square metres in Delhi has become eligible to apply for the allotment of newly-constructed flats being offered by the DDA for the first time, the urban body said on Monday. In a statement, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) said the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has "approved modifications/relaxations" proposed by the DDA in the Housing Regulations, 1968, which were issued under section 57 of the DDA Act, 1957. However, it did not specify as to when the modifications or relaxations received the nod from the central ministry. "The objective of modifications/relaxations was to enable general public to buy DDA flats without much restrictions/hassles," the statement said. "Any person having less than 67 sqm of flat or plot in Delhi has become eligible to apply for allotment of newly-constructed flats offered by DDA for the first time. The main regulations did not allow any person to apply for allotment o

Delhi records cleanest air day since last October, average AQI of 135

Delhi on Monday logged a 24-hour average AQI of 135, the lowest since October 13 last year, owing to chilly winds that swept through the city dispersing the pollutants. The cold northwesterly winds -- blowing up to a speed of 48 kmph -- from the mountainous regions led to a drop in temperatures. The city recorded a high of 23.2 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year and a minimum temperature of 8.7 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season's average. Humidity level during the day oscillated between 25 per cent and 62 per cent. The weather department has forecast a mainly clear sky with strong surface winds and occasional gusty winds for Tuesday. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to settle around 26 degrees Celsius and 12 degrees Celsius respectively on Tuesday. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe. According to the Ministry of Earth

PM Modi to inaugurate 'Aadi Mahotsav' in Delhi on Feb 16: Arjun Munda

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a 15-day 'Aadi Mahotsav' at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on February 16, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said on Monday. Tribal artisans from across the country have been invited to display millet recipes and sell millet products at the festival, Munda said. Millets are an integral part of the diet of tribal communities, and the United Nations, at the behest of India, has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets, according to a statement issued by the Tribal Affairs Ministry. The ministry's tableau which bagged the first prize during the Republic Day celebrations will also be put on display. Around 1,000 tribal artisans and artists from 28 states and Union territories will participate in the festival. They include tribal cooks from 19 states and UTs for which 20 food stalls are being set up. Munda said the prime minister will engage with the artisans and craftsmen. He will also be given an overview of

Fire breaks out at factory in Delhi's Karampura, rescue operation underway

As many as 27 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and were carrying out the firefighting operations at the time of filing this report

'Two-day Food festival response more than expected,' says NDMC official

The two-day food festival in the national capital's Talkatora Stadium was a "success" and stalls that offered food made with millet and 'Purani Delhi' delicacies were instant hits among the city residents, an NDMC official said on Sunday. The food festival, organised by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), concluded on Sunday with a Sufi music night. A civic body official said that the response was "more than expected" with people coming from Delhi and NCR in large numbers. The crowd on the second day was more than the first day because it was Sunday and people came to the stadium with their families to relish good food. "The response we have received is more than expected. The food festival has been a success. All the traditional and international delicacies have received phenomenal responses from the people. Mainly, millet stalls and the Old Delhi food were amongst the people's favourites," said NDMC member Kuljeet Singh Chahal. The two-day G20 International Food Festival, th

What makes Delhi Mumbai Expressway the crown jewel of India's road infra

The project, being built at a cost a trillion rupees, is the country's longest expressway, and is endowed with hundreds of amenities and facilities

Delhi LG playing politics over demolition of religious structures: Sisodia

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia accused Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena on Sunday of "playing politics" over the matter of demolition of religious structures, while stressing that decisions over making any changes to such places cannot be taken in haste. In a fresh tussle between the LG and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, Saxena has recalled files related to several pending infrastructure projects citing "inaction" on the part of the city government, officials said. They alleged that despite the recommendations of a committee to remove the "unauthorised religious structures" that have held up several key infrastructure projects, the Delhi government's home department, headed by Sisodia, has kept 78 such proposals from various agencies pending since May last year. Responding to the allegation, Sisodia said the LG has issued a statement saying he has called for files related to the demolition of religious structures. "The LG has claimed that the said files have be

Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, freight corridor to be pillars of progress: PM

Modi brings infra in focus ahead of Rajasthan polls, opens first phase of India's longest expressway

Sisodia nods for project to lay 34-km sewer line in 39 Najafgarh colonies

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday approved a project to lay a 34-kilometre-long sewer line in 39 unauthorised colonies of Najafgarh, a statement said. The Rs 41-crore project will benefit 55,000 people in these unauthorised colonies, he said in the statement. Free sewerage connections will be provided to 1,607 households in Najafgarh under the Mukhyamantri Muft Sewer Connection Yojana, Sisodia added. He also instructed Delhi Jal Board officials to complete the work within the stipulated time. There are 1,799 unauthorised colonies in Delhi. Of these, 725 have been connected to the sewerage network while work is underway in 573 others. Sewage from unauthorised colonies not connected to the sewerage network flows directly into the Yamuna. The Delhi government has promised to clean the Yamuna to bathing standards by February 2025. The river can be considered fit for bathing if biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) -- the amount of oxygen required for microbial metabolis

Protest against DDA demolition continues for 3rd day in Delhi's Mehrauli

The protest by locals against the Demolition Drive by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is underway for the third consecutive day in the Mehrauli for the third consecutive day on Sunday

Delhi LG approves Feb 16 for convening of MCD House for mayor poll

Delhi LG VK Saxena has given his nod for convening the next session of the MCD House on February 16 for election to the post of mayor, official sources said on Sunday. The government had sent the proposal to hold the House session on February 16 and Saxena has accepted it, they said.

PM to visit Rajasthan's Dausa to inaugurate part of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Rajasthan's Dausa district to inaugurate the Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway

Delhi excise policy: Court sends YSRCP MP's son to ED custody till Feb 20

A Delhi court on Saturday sent Raghav Magunta, the son of YSR Congress Party MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till February 20 in a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy. Duty Judge Naresh Kumar Laka passed the order on an application moved by the ED seeking 10-day custody of Manguta, alleging that he participated and knowingly assisted various processes or activities of possession, use, transfer, etc. of the proceeds of crime worth at least Rs 180 crore. In addition, even after multiple opportunities and recorded statements of the other accused, he was not cooperating with the investigation and did not reveal facts which are crucial for the investigation and he has exclusive knowledge of. Hence, custodial interrogation of Magunta is the need of the hour, the ED told the judge. It further said that the arrestee also needed to be confronted with digital and physical records seized during 189 search ...

We will make schools in Delhi, Punjab best in the world: Arvind Kejriwal

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Saturday said education is "a priority" for the AAP-led dispensations and work will be done to make government schools in both Delhi and Punjab the "best in the world". AAP is the ruling party in Delhi and Punjab. Kejriwal was addressing a gathering of principals at an event here in the presence of his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann. Mann said that teachers in Punjab will not be engaged in anything other than teaching. In his address, Kejriwal said, "Improving and fixing education system in Delhi since we took charge here was very difficult." Infrastructure was given a push earlier and then the AAP government focused on training teachers and principals, the party supremo said. Until teachers and principals are motivated, the impact will not be visible, he said. "If government wants, they can give best schools and education, but intentions and priorities matter. And, education is our priority. We took seven years in Delhi, but it will take less ti

DDA's anti-encroachment drive continues in Mehrauli for 2nd day

Residents of the area said that the DDA had demolished two three-storeyed buildings near the Aulia Masjid at Andheria Mor along with shanties

Delhi LG replaces AAP govt nominees from discom boards with senior officers

'Government nominees', including AAP leader Jasmine Shah, appointed to the boards of power discoms in Delhi by the Arvind Kejriwal-led dispensation have been replaced with senior officials, sources at the Lieutenant Governor's office said on Saturday. Besides Shah, a spokesperson of the AAP, those removed from the boards include Naveen Gupta, son of AAP MP N D Gupta, and other private persons "illegally" appointed as 'government nominees', they claimed. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party termed the LG's orders removing Shah and Gupta from the boards of discoms "illegal and unconstitutional". The LG does not have the power to issue such orders, it claimed. The sources at the LG's office, meanwhile, said the finance secretary, power secretary and the MD of Delhi Transco will now represent the city government on the boards of the discoms, in line with the prevalent practice. Delhi LG V K Saxena had ordered the immediate removal of Shah, Gupta and other private individuals "illegally" appointe

ED arrests YSR Congress MP's son in Delhi excise policy money laundering

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Raghav Magunta, son of YSR Congress Party MP from Ongole Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, in connection with its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy case, officials said Saturday. Raghav Magunta was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Friday evening, they said. He is expected to be produced before a local court, where the federal probe agency will seek his custody. This is the ninth arrest in this case by the ED, and the third this week. It arrested Gautam Malhotra, son of former SAD MLA from Punjab Deep Malhotra, and Rajesh Joshi, the director of an advertising company called Chariot Productions Media Pvt Ltd, earlier in the week. The agency had alleged that a cartel called 'South Group' of liquor retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers was created as part of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, and the father and son duo were part of it. It had searched .

MCD drafts 'Vision@2047' to improve education with infra upgrade, tech

The MCD has prepared a roadmap to improve the quality of primary education in Delhi with a 'vision document' focussing on the development of sports infrastructure, safety and hygiene in schools, and educating students about gender equality. Under 'Vision@2047', the Municipal Corporation of Delhi will focus on various initiatives to bolster its mechanism to impart primary education into a result-oriented system, officials said. "Marching forward with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to make India a developed nation by 2047 under the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' and to improve the quality of primary education in Delhi, the education department of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has prepared a roadmap -- 'Vision@2047'," the MCD said in a statement. In this direction, the civic body is implementing the National Education Policy 2020 in all its schools with all provisions, it said. The MCD has planned to promote the use of the mother tongue as the medium of education at the primary