Page 15 - Delhi

Centre's air quality panel tightens curbs on use of DG sets in Delhi-NCR

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Friday said diesel generator (DG) sets of capacity up to 800 kilowatt can be permitted for industrial and commercial operations in Delhi-NCR from May 15 only after their conversion to the dual fuel system (gas and diesel). However, their operations will continue to be restricted during the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) period, it said. With effect from May 15, "any use of DG sets of capacity up to 800 kW shall be permitted for industrial and commercial sector in the entire NCR, only subject to their conversion to dual fuel system (70 per cent gas and 30 per cent diesel) in areas where gas infrastructure and supply is available", the Centre's air quality panel said in a statement. It observed that uncontrolled use of DG sets is a matter of concern. "A large number of DG sets operating in Delhi-NCR without adequate emission control measures, even during the periods other than the ban under GRAP, cause heavy air pollution and ar

Delhi court convicts 4 operatives of Al Qaida in Indian Subcontinent

A Delhi court on Friday convicted four operatives of Al-Qaida in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) for conspiracy to commit terror acts across the country and recruiting members for the terror group. Special judge Sanjay Khanagwal convicted Maulana Mohd Abdul Rehman Kasmi, Mohd Asif, Zafar Masood and Abdul Sami, saying the prosecution was able to prove its charges against them under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The court is likely to hear argument on quantum of sentence on February 14 and the convicts face a maximum punishment of life imprisonment. "Mohd. Asif, Zafar Masood, Mohd. Abdul Rehman and Abdul Sami are held guilty for commission of offence punishable under section 18 (conspiracy for terror act) and 18-B (recruiting persons for terrorist act) of UAPA and are convicted thereunder," the judge said. The judge, meanwhile, acquitted two suspected AQIS operatives Syed Mohd Zishan Ali and Sabeel Ahmed in the case. The judge accepted the submissions

MHA approves regularisation of NDMC's 4,500 regular muster roll employees

CM Arvind Kejriwal thanked the Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the decision, saying "The lives of thousands of these people will change with a permanent job"

Over 5,442,267 old vehicles de-registered by Delhi Transport Department

Delhi Transport Department has so far de-registered 5,442,267 vehicles, as on January 31, including 10-year-old diesel vehicles and 15-year-old petrol/CNG vehicles, the Parliament was told on Thursday

Delhi to raise power generation capacity by 6,000 MW via renewable: Sisodia

The Delhi government will increase power generation capacity in the city by 6,000 MW in the next three years using renewable energy sources through various initiatives, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Thursday. The city government is working on a war footing to meet Delhi's electricity demand using renewable energy, he added. "Our target is to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and meet power demand using renewable energy to make Delhi self-reliant in its energy needs, ensuring uninterrupted 24x7 electricity supply for citizens and meeting the growing power demand," Sisodia said in a statement. The deputy chief minister emphasised on faster adoption of rooftop solar panels by Delhi government offices, schools and other buildings, as per the city's new solar policy. Chairing a crucial meeting of the energy department to review the city's preparedness to meet future energy needs, Sisodia instructed officials to explore potential areas for setting up new solar energy plant

Over 125,000 passengers availed Digi Yatra at 3 airports since Dec 2022

More than 1.25 lakh passengers have availed Digi Yatra at three airports since its launch. Digi Yatra was launched at three airports, including Delhi, Bengaluru and Varanasi on December 1, 2022

Action plans helped reduce pollution by 20% at Anand Vihar, Delhi

Particulate pollution at Anand Vihar, one of the 13 air pollution hotspots in Delhi, declined by around 20 per cent after the city government's Environment department inventorised and mapped point sources and took site-specific measures, officials said. It is a first-of-its-kind project in Delhi. The pilot phase has been successful. It will now be replicated in all the 13 hotspots this year, an Environment department official said. The department inventorised and mapped around 470 major and minor air pollution sources in the area, especially in the region surrounding the continuous ambient air quality monitoring station. Major point sources included the Regional Rapid Transit System construction site, a construction and demolition site behind the Anand Vihar Inter-State Bus Terminal, traffic congestion at the railway station exit, the Uttar Pradesh Roadways Bus Terminal at Kaushambi, an unpaved parking of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Patparganj industrial area, among .

National Ranking Archery tournament begins from February 10 in Delhi

Top Indian archers like Abhishek Verma, Atanu Das and Vennam Jyothi Surekha will be seen in action in the National Ranking Tournament which begins at the DDA Yamuna Sports Complex here on Friday. The preliminary elimination rounds of the event will be held on Friday and the final rounds of the compound and recurve events will be staged on Saturday and Sunday. The NTPC National Ranking Archery Tournament, being organised by the Delhi Archery Association under the aegis of the Archery Association of India (AAI), will feature senior, junior and sub-junior (cadet) recurve and compound competitions for both men and women. Only 32 best senior, junior and sub-junior archers of the season, eight in each of the four categories (recurve men, recurve women, compound men and compound women) -- totalling 96 -- got selected for the finals, after taking into account their performances in the four legs of the domestic circuit held from January to October last year in Hyderabad, Saraikela (Jharkhand

Delhi HC posts hearing to April 20 to declare PM CARES Fund as 'State'

The Delhi High Court on Thursday adjourned hearing in a plea seeking a declaration of PM CARES Fund as "State" under Article 12 of the Constitution of India, to April 20.

SC seeks replies from LG's office on holding of mayoral election in MCD

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought responses from the office of Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, pro tem presiding officer Satya Sharma of MCD and others on a plea filed by Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) mayoral candidate Shelly Oberoi seeking early holding of mayoral election for the civic body. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala said it is issuing notice on the plea and seeking the replies from them by next Monday. Senior advocate AM Singhvi pointed that the session of the House was called three times but no election for the Mayor was held. We have several objections including that the pro tem presiding officer of the MCD is insisting on holding elections for Mayor, Deputy Mayor and members of standing committee all at once. This is contrary to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, he said. The bench, which noted the submissions of Singhvi, said it will hear the matter on Monday.

ED arrests businessman Gautam Malhotra in Delhi excise policy scam

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested businessman Gautam Malhotra in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam.

Maximum road accidents in Delhi take place on Friday night: Report

In the last three years, 1,597 people have lost lives on the weekend, between Friday and Sunday

CBI arrests KCR's daughter K Kavitha's ex-auditor in excise policy case

The CBI has arrested a Hyderabad-based chartered accountant (CA), understood to be the auditor of BRS MLC K Kavitha, in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, officials said on Wednesday. The Central Bureau of Investigation had called the CA, Butchibabu Gorantla, to Delhi for questioning in connection with the excise policy case. He was arrested on Tuesday evening as he was non-cooperative and his responses were found to be evasive, they said. The CBI has alleged that Gorantla's role in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 caused "wrongful gain" to Hyderabad-based wholesale and retail licensees and their beneficial owners. The agency will produce him before a special court here on Wednesday. The CBI had questioned Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in connection with the case in December last year.

AAP distributing revdi while govt allocated funds to Delhi in Budget: Lekhi

Taking a dig at the Delhi government, Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi on Tuesday said while the Centre provided funds to the city under different heads in the Union Budget 2023-24, the AAP dispensation was busy distributing 'revdi' (freebies). No immediate reaction was available from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on the allegations. Speaking at a press conference, Lekhi noted that Rs 11,932.03 crore was allocated to Delhi Police in the budget which is an increase of Rs 1,576.74 crore over the previous year. This is in line with the commitment of the central government to ensure law and order in the city, she said. "The eyes of the world are set on Delhi being the G-20 Summit venue this year, and the Centre has increased the 'capital' section allocation to Delhi Police by 136 per cent to Rs 1,289.92 crore for the 2023-24 financial year which is Rs 546.90 crore more than the last financial year," a party statement quoted Lekhi as saying. The Minister of State for External Affairs also sai

Delhi LG writes to Haryana CM on lack of progress in setting up STPs

The Irrigation department in Haryana has not made any "substantial progress" in setting up plants to treat sewage discharged into the Najafgarh drain, Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena said in a letter to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Saxena also requested a meeting with Khattar in the letter dated February 2. "The L-G has reminded the Haryana chief minister that despite 'assurances' from the Irrigation department of his government to set up STPs (sewage treatment plants) to treat the sewage before being discharged into Najafgarh drain, there has not been any substantial progress so far," the L-G Office said in a statement. Saxena heads a high-level committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal for corrective measures to tackle pollution in the Yamuna. In the letter, Saxena also urged Khattar to "urgently" convene a meeting between Delhi and Haryana to find a sustainable solution to the Yamuna pollution, the statement added. Saxena referred to his earlier telephonic discuss

BJP protests outside AAP headquarters over delay in Mayoral election

The newly elected municipal councilors of Delhi BJP staged a protest outside the Aam Aadmi Party's headquarters over delay in the elections of mayor, deputy mayor and standing committee members

'I am sorry, I killed Shradha', Aftab told police, says Charge sheet

'I have killed Shradha Walkar, please forgive me, I have destroyed evidence", accused Aftab Amin Poonawalla told Delhi Police officials as per the charge sheet filed in the sensational case

Two-month long 'Cyber Suraksha' campaign launched by Delhi Police

Delhi Police on Tuesday launched the 'Cyber Suraksha' campaign in partnership with the aim to spread awareness about cyber safety and prevent people from falling prey to prevailing online frauds

Brackish groundwater in most parts of Delhi: Central Ground Water Board

The groundwater in most parts of Delhi is brackish in nature and the nitrate concentration is high in the northeastern parts of the capital, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has said in a report. "Chemical analysis of ground water samples collected in May 2021 showed that nitrate content in groundwater is within the permissible limit of 45 micrograms per litre in most of the state. However, concentration in the north-eastern parts of Delhi is high," the CGWB's groundwater year book 2021-22 said. Except a few locations in the northern and western parts of the city, all areas have a fluoride concentration within the permissible limit of 1.5 micrograms per litre, it said. The eastern parts of Delhi, especially the areas around the Yamuna floodplains and the Delhi Quartzite Ridge zones, have an electrical conductivity (EC) within the permissible range of 0 to 2,250 microsiemens per centimetre, the CGWB said. "The rest of the capital, barring some pockets of southwest, northwest an

Delhi records minimum temperature of 12.8 degrees Celsius as mercury rises

Delhi on Tuesday recorded a minimum temperature of 12.8 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal, with a warm, sunny day predicted ahead. The capital had on Monday logged a maximum temperature of 29 degrees Celsius, six notches above normal and the highest in February in two years, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). It was also the first time since 2011 that Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 29 degrees Celsius or above in the first week of February. Normally, the city logs an average maximum temperature of 23.2 degrees Celsius from February 6 to 9. On Sunday, the national capital recorded a maximum temperature of 25.7 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal. Strong surface winds are predicted on Tuesday and Wednesday and partly cloudy skies are likely on Thursday and Friday, the weather office said.