Delhi News, Delhi-NCR News Highlights: Hours after Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the Centre had decided to shift the refugees to EWS flats in Bakkarwala, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj Wednesday said the Delhi government “will take strict action against any illegal immigrants.” Stating that the BJP can take the illegal immigrants wherever they want, he asserted that they should not be in Delhi.” Further terming the episode as “conspiracy by the Centre,” Bhardwaj sought proof of Hardeep Puri’s twitter account being hacked and questioned if the account of the Ministry of Home Affiars was also hacked.
Meanwhile, hours after Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri said that all Rohingya refugees will be shifted to EWS flats in Bakkarwala, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that it had not given any such directions. The ministry, in a series of tweets, said: “Govt of Delhi proposed to shift the Rohingyas to a new location. MHA has directed the GNCTD to ensure that the Rohingya illegal foreigners will continue at the present location as MHA has already taken up the matter of their deportation with the concerned country through MEA.”
The Delhi High Court Wednesday questioned yoga guru Baba Ramdev over his recent statement that US President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 despite being vaccinated and it was a “failure” of medical science, saying people should not be misled by stating what is more than official. “One is, I am concerned about the good name of Ayurveda being destroyed. I am concerned about it. Ayurveda is a recognised, ancient system of medicine. Let’s not do anything to harm the good name of Ayurveda,” said Justice Anup Jairam Bhambani. Justice Bhambani made the remarks during the hearing of a suit filed by various doctors’ associations against Ramdev for his statements against allopathy.
The Delhi government has modified the timings during which goods vehicles can ply on certain roads in the capital, according to a gazette notification.
The gazette notification was published following Delhi Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena's nod.
Accoring to the notification, heavy and medium goods vehicles will not ply between 7 am to 11 pm on the Phirni road, Circular road and Najafgarh stretch, while there will be restrictions on movement of light goods vehicles (excluding three-wheeled) on the roads between 7 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 11 pm. (PTI)
The number of deaths attributable to PM2.5 in Delhi is 106 out of 1,00,000 people in 2019, according to the ‘Air Quality and Health in Cities’ report released Wednesday. The report is published by the Health Effects Institute, a non-profit research institute based in the USA.
The figure for Delhi is well above the global median of PM2.5 attributable death rates in cities in 2019 — 58 per 1,00,000 people. Delhi also topped a list of 103 cities across the world, with the highest annual average PM2.5 exposure level in 2019, according to the report. Read more
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the board of management of Unitech Group to upload on its website the timeline for completion of its stalled projects for the benefit of the hassled home buyers.
It also asked the board to upload within 48 hours the newly revised payment plan under which the home buyer is required to make payments and asked the flat buyers to give their suggestions or feedback, if any, to the board of management, which would facilitate the court in passing the orders in this regard.
A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah said that the funds receivable from the home buyers or unsold inventories shall be used only for the construction purpose and would not be allowed to be diverted for any other purposes. Read more
Nearly 100 roads falling under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's jurisdiction have been identified under a revamp campaign and about 50 of those have already been beautified, the civic body said on Wednesday.
The MCD had identified a total of 96 roads across its 12 zones under its 'One Road per Zone per Week', it said in a statement. The MCD has started work in this direction from July 11 by preparing a detailed action plan at the zonal level. The corporation has revamped about 50 roads so far, it said.
The civic body said it has issued detailed orders to its various departments such as maintenance, DEMS, horticulture, engineering, public health etc. for better maintenance and beautification of roads. (PTI)
DCW chief Swati Maliwal on Wednesday slammed the observation made by a court in Kerala that an offence under sexual harassment is not prima facie attracted when the woman was wearing "sexually provocative dress", questioning who will decide whether the clothes are revealing or not.
She asserted that the Kerala High Court should take cognizance of the matter and take action.
The district sessions court in Kerala's Kozhikode made the observation last week while granting bail to 74-year-old social activist and writer Civic Chandran in a sexual abuse case. (PTI)
Delhi recorded eight more Covid-related fatalities and 1,652 new cases on Wednesday even as the positivity rate came down below 10 per cent after more than a fortnight, according to data shared by the city health department.
The positivity rate in Delhi declined to 9.92 percent on Wednesday. The capital had on Tuesday reported 917 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 19.20 per cent and three deaths due to the infection.
With this, Delhi's caseload went up to 19,88,391 and the death toll to 26,400, it said. The fresh cases came out of 16,658 tests, the health department's latest bulletin said. On Monday, the capital had reported 1,227 cases with a positivity rate of 14.57 per cent, while eight more people died due to the disease. (PTI)
Members of the Sanyukt Rozgar Andolan Samiti began a relay fast here on Wednesday demanding an employment policy in the country.
Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Gupta joined the members and said he will bring a Private Member Bill in Parliament for a national employment policy, said a statement.
Delhi government minister and founder of Desh Ki Baat Foundation Gopal Rai said a 'Tiranga Padyatra' was planned from Nandnagri to Jantar Mantar but was not allowed by the police on Sunday. "This is the first time that a march with tricolours that focused on the issue of employment, was abruptly halted by the administration," he said. (PTI)
A 21-year-old man was arrested in connection with the northeast Delhi's Subhash Park double murder case, police said on Wednesday. The accused was a family friend of the victims and borrowed about Rs 4-5 lakh from them, they said.
Two women -- bedridden Vimla Devi (70) and her daughter-in-law Dolli Rai (45) -- were found murdered with multiple stab wounds at their home in Subhash Park area on Tuesday.
According to police, accused Harshit had borrowed about Rs 4-5 lakh from Dolli's son Shashank on interest. When Harshit came under pressure to return the money, he hatched a foolproof plan to murder the two women and rob the house in the absence of Shashank (25) and his brother Sarthak (23), they said. The two brothers had gone for a holiday trip to Uttarakhand on the night of August 12. (PTI)
As confusion prevailed over the housing status of Rohingya refugees in Delhi’s Madanpur Khadar, with conflicting statements between Union Housing Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and the Union Home Ministry, many at the makeshift shelters watched with worry and resignation.
Puri had earlier tweeted on the provision of EWS flats to Rohingyas in Bakkarwala, with the MHA later denying it, and also calling on the Delhi government to declare the present location a detention centre.
The refugee settlement here exists on one side of a battered dirt road punctuated by puddles of stagnant water, with flies swarming the area. Some shops and settlements are located at an elevation, while several shanties are located lower down. Read More
Many candidates returned from their Common University Entrance Test (CUET) centres on Wednesday without having written their exams yet again, with exams in multiple centres in Delhi cancelled again because of technical issues.
Wednesday's tests were cancelled in at least 5 centres in Delhi while students in other centres reported technical snags. UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar said that the cancellations were because of server problems in the centres and that all affected candidates will get retests.
Ishat Nagpal had one set of CUET papers postponed from August 7 to August 21, which he had been informed about through an e-mail two days before the scheduled test. He had another 4 papers scheduled for Wednesday morning at Guru Hargobind Institute of Management and Information Technology in Anand Vihar, which got canceled only after candidates began writing the test. The result is that he has not yet completed a single CUET paper. Read More
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has recommended action against IAS officer Udit Prakash Rai for allegedly accepting Rs 50 lakh bribe to grant "undue favours" to an executive engineer in two corruption cases, LG office sources said on Wednesday.
Rai is currently posted as a special secretary in the health and family welfare department of the Delhi government.
They said Rai, during his tenure as the vice chairman of Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board (DAMB), "virtually let off" executive engineer P S Meena in two disproportionate asset cases -- one involving Meena's son and the other involving his wife. (PTI)
After Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri tweeted that all Rohingya refugees in Delhi would be shifted to Economically Weaker Section (EWS) flats in Bakkarwala and given round-the-clock police security, the AAP on Wednesday accused the Centre of conspiring to settle illegal immigrants in the city for the BJP's benefit.
AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said the party-run Delhi government would not allow such a settlement to take place.
Within hours of Puri's tweet, though, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said it had not given any such directions. A ministry spokesperson also said though the Delhi government had proposed to shift the Rohingya refugees to a new location, the ministry directed it not to go ahead with the plan as the matter of their deportation had been taken up with the "country concerned". Read More
For a decade, they have lived in camps and huts in Kalindi Kunj and Madanpur Khadar in South East Delhi. But for the first time, Rohingya refugees will soon get EWS (economically weaker section) flats in West Delhi’s Bakkarwala.
Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said Wednesday that the Centre had decided to shift the refugees to EWS flats in Bakkarwala.
“India has always welcomed those who have sought refuge in the country. In a landmark decision all Rohingya refugees will be shifted to EWS flats in Bakkarwala area of Delhi. They will be provided basic amenities, UNHCR IDs and round-the-clock Delhi Police protection,” he tweeted. Read More
India has always welcomed those who have sought refuge in the country. In a landmark decision all #Rohingya #Refugees will be shifted to EWS flats in Bakkarwala area of Delhi. They will be provided basic amenities, UNHCR IDs & round-the-clock @DelhiPolice protection. @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/E5ShkHOxqE
Delhi and Kolkata reported 106 and 99 deaths per 1 lakh population in 2019 which could be attributed to PM2.5 pollution, according to a new report published by US-based Health Effects Institute on Wednesday.
In 2019, Delhi recorded an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 110 microgram per cubic metre, the highest among the most-populous cities in the world, followed by Kolkata (84 microgram per cubic metre), said the report "Air Quality and Health in Cities" by the State of Global Air Initiative, a collaboration between the Health Effects Institute and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation's Global Burden of Disease project.
The report summarizes data on air pollution exposures and associated health impacts in 7,239 cities (with minimum population of 50,000) from 2010 to 2019. It combines ground-based air quality data with satellites and models to produce air quality estimates for cities around the world. (PTI)
In a petition filed against Baba Ramdev over his statements on allopathy and Covid-19 “cure”, Coronil, the Delhi High Court stated, “You’re welcome to have your followers and disciples and people who believe you but don’t mislead the public by saying more than what is official.” Justice Bhambani stated, “My concern is to save the good name and reputation of Ayurveda. My aim [also] is nobody should be misled against allopathy.” The court noted, “It’s one thing to say that I choose not to take the vaccine but it’s quite another thing to say ‘forget the vaccine, it’s useless but take this”’.
Launching the mission to make India no 1, Arvind Kejriwal said, "This is not my party's mission. It's mission of every single citizen." "I ask BJP to join this mission to make India the number one in the world. We have to stand together to achieve this mission. Hindu is fighting with Muslim, Muslim is fighting with Christian, Pandit is fighting with someone...If we keep fighting like this, our country will not reach the top level. I appeal to everyone to join this mission and work together to make India the great nation," Kejriwal said.
Launching the ‘Mission to Make India No 1’ at Delhi’s Talkatora Stadium, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal emphasised the need to improve education and employment in the country. “We have to open schools in every corner of the country if we want to provide good education to every child. When all students will get education, every family in the country will become rich,” he said, adding that we also need to ensure that the youth have employment.
Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) announced that all private and commercial vehicles would drive through the Multi-Level Car Parking (MLCP) area to pick up the passengers from today (August 17). The MLCP will be used instead of the Lane-3 parking at Terminal 3. 15-minutes of parking at the new MLCP is free.
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal is set to launch a “mission to make India No. 1” at Talkatora Stadium Wednesday afternoon, the party has announced. “My only dream is to make India rich and number one in this lifetime and this will happen only when all the citizens in the country will become rich and I want to make every poor person rich. And to make everyone rich we have to provide free education and health for all children,” Kejriwal said Tuesday in a press conference. Read more
As Delhi’s positivity rate touched 19.2% on Tuesday, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena appealed to people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour. Over the past three weeks, Covid cases, deaths and hospitalisations in the city have increased. While 917 cases were reported on Tuesday, it was because only 4,775 tests were conducted since Monday was Independence Day and a national holiday. “Most of the people coming to us are those who have taken just one or two doses of the vaccine. Most who have got the precautionary dose are either not contracting the virus, or do not have serious symptoms. I appeal to everyone to get the precautionary dose,” the L-G said. Read more
Delhi Government students parade at 75th Independence day celebration at Chattarsal stadium. (Express Photo)
Among those who attended Independence Day celebrations at Chhatrasal Stadium for the first time on Monday were hundreds of students, including those who shifted from private schools during the pandemic, from around 15-20 Delhi government schools.
The Indian Express spoke to these former private school students on what the shift entailed for them.
Khushboo Verma, a class 9 student of Sarvodaya Co-ed School, Malcha Marg, who was earlier enrolled at a private school, said, “Due to financial circumstances, my parents enrolled me in this school during Covid. I was against the move… but my father said government schools have improved. I was not happy at all, but when I started attending school, my perception about government schools changed completely.”
In line with its thrust towards promoting sports, the Delhi government’s education department has instituted a new set of awards to be conferred to teachers of sports and yoga.
Called the State Sports Teachers Awards, these will be conferred at a function next month along with the existing State Teachers Awards. These awards are for coaches, PE teachers and yoga teachers working in the different coaching centres, complexes and stadiums of the sports branch and in schools run by the Delhi government and local bodies.
A total of 15 awards will be given — one for the best sports coach or yoga teacher working at a coaching centre of the sports branch, twelve for the best PE teacher with one from each district, one for the best PE teacher from the MCD, one for the best yoga teacher from the Directorate of Education and one for the best PE teacher or yoga teacher from the NDMC or Delhi Cantonment Board.