NEW DELHI, (PTI0: Eighty per cent of Delhi’s bus fleet will run on electric by 2025, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday, asserting that acquisition of e-buses will go a long way in reducing pollution in the national capital.

Sharing a roadmap for procurement of electric buses, he said the government will be buying 1,500 such buses in 2023 and by 2025, 6,380 electric buses will be procured.

”We have 300 electric buses now. Delhi has 7,379 buses plying on its roads currently which is the highest number of buses plying on the roads in the last 75 years. New buses were not purchased for many years and we were also questioned over it,” he said at a ceremony at the Rajghat Depot to flag off 50 electric buses. Out of the 7,379 buses, more than 4,000 are being operated by the Delhi Transport Corporation and over 3,000 through the DIMTS, he said.

Kejriwal also shared that nearly 100 electric feeder buses were being operated by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. But as it could not run them, the Delhi government is taking over the corporation’s bus fleet, he said.

”By 2025, over 10,000 buses will be there on Delhi’s roads and 80 per cent of them will be electric. This is a huge step in reducing pollution,” he said. The chief minister also said the process installing charging points for e-buses at depots is going on and three already have the facility.

”By June this year, the work of electrification of 17 bus depots will be completed and by December, 36 bus depots will be electrified,” Kejriwal said. The electric buses are equipped with facilities like panic buttons, GPS, cameras. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, (PTI): The third wave of the Covid pandemic driven by the Omicron variant had resulted in a record surge in Delhi in early 2022, followed by a relative dip in cases during successive months, but as the year draws to an end, all eyes are on the fresh threat, proving many experts right that ”Covid is not out of the world yet”.

The pandemic, the worst since the Spanish Flu of 1918, had wreaked havoc globally in 2020 and 2021 and Delhi was one of the worst-hit cities, particularly during the deadly second wave when the death toll hit through the roofs as the capital was left scrambling for hospital beds and literally gasping for breath.

After two years of the mayhem, 2022 largely had been easy for people in Delhi as daily cases, positivity rate, death count and hospital admission figures, have all come down significantly by the end of the year. However, although people were hoping to breathe easy while welcoming 2023, a new Covid scare may be looming on the horizon.

The next 40 days are going to be crucial as India may see a surge in COVID-19 cases in January, official sources said on December 28, citing the pattern of previous outbreaks.

Covid cases have lately seen a surge in China and some other countries, prompting both the Centre and the Delhi government to recalibrate their strategies for combating the pandemic.

Mock drills were held at health facilities across India on December 27 to check operational readiness to deal with any spurt in COVID-19 infection, with Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya saying the country has to remain alert and prepared as cases are rising in the world.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the city government-run hospitals are ”fully equipped” to fight any surge in Covid cases on a day mock drills were conducted at LNJP Hospital and various other medical facilities in the capital as well.

Sisodia also asked people not to panic, saying primary data suggests that the new BF.7 sub-strain of the coronavirus, which is causing a surge in infections in other countries, is similar to previous variants.

The mock drill assessed bed availability, manpower, referral resources, testing capacity, medical logistics, telemedicine services and medical oxygen availability, among other aspects.

”At the LNJP Hospital, there are 2,000 beds and 450 of those are dedicated to COVID-19. If need arises, we can dedicate all 2,000 beds for COVID-19… We can also increase this number by using nearby banquet halls and add an additional 500 beds for COVID-19 fight, so there would no shortage,” he had said.

During the second wave, all Covid hospitals were swamped with patients, and the LNJP Hospital, the mainstay of Delhi’s fight against the pandemic, also saw a rush of patients during the third wave.

The number of daily cases in Delhi had touched a record high of 28,867 on January 13 during the third wave of the pandemic which was largely due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The city recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the third wave. The daily cases count has been on the decline after that surge.

As daily cases steadily dipped in months following March, authorities on April 2 had lifted the penalty of Rs 500 for not wearing face masks at public places. On April 2, Delhi had logged 114 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 0.71 per cent and zero death due to the viral disease.

Many doctors had then said the ”move was not wise” and should have been done in a ”phased manner”.

Doctors at leading hospitals in Delhi had also concurred that while the number of cases has significantly declined, ”Covid is not out of the world yet”.

On April 22, Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) made wearing masks in public places mandatory again, and eventually decided to stop levying the penalty after September 30.

Delhi has recorded over 2,007,000 Covid cases and more than 26,520 deaths since the pandemic started in early 2020. The number of daily cases has remained below 20 and the positivity rate below 1 per cent since mid-November, according to official data.

However, in the wake of surge in cases in some countries, doctors and experts have advised to wear masks in public places and in crowded locations, more so, when currently there are no restrictions for gatherings, and huge crowds are expected at tourist spots and public landmarks like the India Gate on New Year’s Eve and New Year Day.

Referring to the surge in COVID-19 cases in some countries, the Union Health ministry recently underlined that it was necessary that requisite public health measures are put in place in all states and Union Territories to meet any exigencies.

The Delhi government on December 26 approved a budget of Rs 104 crore for hospitals to procure general medicines as part of preparations to deal with emergency situations amid a surge in cases abroad.

During a review meeting on the COVID-19 situation on December 22, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had issued instructions to send all positive cases for genome sequencing and increase precaution dose coverage and manpower in hospitals. He had also directed officials to take prior approval for procurement of essential items needed and inspect machines in all hospitals.

Some experts say the BF.7 sub-strain should not worry India too much as a lot of people have developed immunity against the virus — either through vaccination or previous infection — unlike China where people have low immunity due to tough restrictions.

Among other healthcare sector decisions, the Delhi government on December 13 had announced that it will provide 450 types of medical tests free of cost at its hospitals and health centres from January 1. At present, 212 medical tests are provided free of cost by the city government, officials said. ”Healthcare has become very expensive. Many people cannot afford private healthcare. This step will help all such people,” Kejriwal had said. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, (PTI): Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Monday morning and the city recorded a minimum temperature of 15 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season’s average.

With pollution levels worsening, the Centre’s air quality panel has directed the authorities to impose a ban on construction and demolition activities in the Delhi-NCR, except in essential projects, and other curbs under stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

The relative humidity at 8.30 am stood at 90 per cent, officials said.

The weatherman predicted mainly clear skies for the day with the maximum temperature likely to settle at 32 degrees Celsius.

GRAP is a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in the capital and its vicinity according to the severity of the situation.

It classifies the air quality in the Delhi-NCR under four different stages: Stage I – ”Poor” (AQI 201-300); Stage II – ”Very Poor” (AQI 301-400); Stage III – ”Severe” (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV – ”Severe Plus” (AQI >450). (PTI)

DELHI: The unification of Delhi’s three municipal corporations of North, South and East Delhi will be taken up by the Centre in the upcoming budget session of Parliament, a senior Delhi BJP leader told the Indian Express.

The Express report mentions that an amendment regarding the unification is likely to be tabled during the second part of the budget session, which starts on March 14 and ends on April 8.

The State Election Commission had Wednesday postponed the announcement of dates for the municipal polls in Delhi, following a communication from the Centre regarding the unification of the civic bodies.

The press conference by the poll body was scheduled and media persons invited, but at the last minute the State Election Commissioner said the SEC was not announcing the poll dates.

The Delhi SEC later clarified they had received some communication from the Governor’s office regarding unification of the three bodies and hence the announcement was deferred.

The SEC clarified that the polls were neither deferred nor cancelled, it’s only that the announcement was deferred by a few days to factor in the changes.

The Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act will have to be amended by Parliament to unify the three municipalities – South, North and East MCDs and the Central government is ready with the paper work to amend the earlier Act.

“The party wants to reform the MCDs so that whichever party forms the government, it can deliver instead of fighting over funds,” the BJP leader told Indian Express.

“In the last five years, AAP has stopped funds to paralyze the MCDs so that it can come to power by bringing a bad name to the corporation,” the BJP leader was quoted as saying in the Express report.

NEW DELHI, (PTI): The Delhi state government on Sunday extended the ban on the entry of trucks carrying non-essential items into the city and work from home for its employees till November 26 to combat air pollution and minimise its health effects.

Though the order issued by the environment department did not make it clear if the curbs on construction and demolition activities will continue, a senior official said the ban has been lifted.

According to the directions of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), schools and colleges will remain closed till further orders, he said.

”Keeping in view the very poor air quality forecast and that vehicular pollution would cause extensive air pollution and release harmful air pollutants, particularly when the air quality is very poor, it is felt that there is a need for further extension of the curbs on vehicular movement in Delhi,” the order issued by the environment department said.

”Stop entry of trucks in Delhi except the trucks carrying essential commodities till November 26, subject to further review for an extension of this date,” it added.

”All offices of GNCT of Delhi/autonomous bodies/corporations shall remain closed till November 26 except those involved in essential and emergency services…. However, all the officers/officials shall work from home,” the order said.

Following orders from the CAQM, the Delhi government had on Wednesday issued 10 directions, including a ban on the entry of trucks carrying non-essential items into the city and a closure of schools and colleges, till further orders.

It had also banned construction and demolition activities in the city and ordered its employees to work from home till Sunday (November 21).

According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology’s Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the air quality is likely to remain in the ”poor to moderate” category on Monday and Tuesday.

The air quality for the subsequent five days is also likely to remain in the ”poor to the lower end of the very poor category”, it said.

On Sunday, winds gusting up to 20 kilometre per hour barrelled through the city, dispersing pollutants partially and improving visibility.

The city recorded its 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) at 349, down from 374 on Saturday.

Neighbouring Faridabad (377), Ghaziabad (319), Gurugram (364) and Noida (322) also recorded the air quality in the ”very poor” category.

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”.

R K Jenamani, a senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said the wind speed reached up to 20 kmph during the day, improving visibility from 800 metre in the morning to the range of 2,200 to 3,000 metre at the Indira Gandhi International Airport and the Safdarjung Airport.

Winds gusting up to 30 kilometre per hour are likely on Monday, the IMD said. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, (PTI): The AAP on Thursday alleged that the BJP-ruled SDMC and EDMC have barred media from recording and telecasting live the House proceedings of two civic bodies to keep people in dark about their ”misdeeds”.

Addressing a press conference, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that the two civic bodies issued orders in this connection on Wednesday.

However, there was no immediate reaction from the SDMC and the EDMC on the AAP’s claim.

”The mayor of the BJP-led South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) issued a ‘Tughlaqi farman’ yesterday, stating that journalists will not be allowed to record or live telecast the proceedings of its House. A similar tyrannical order was issued by the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) as well,” Bharadwaj told reporters.

He termed the move as ”suspicious”, alleging that ”this clearly implies that the BJP is up to no good. Journalists have been barred from recording the MCD sessions to keep the public in dark about their misdeeds. The BJP wants to hide the truth from the public”. The AAP condemns and opposes the BJP-ruled civic bodies’ move to bar media from recording and telecasting live their House proceedings, Bharadwaj said.

”It is extremely appalling that the BJP-ruled MCDs, which do not telecast live their House proceedings, have now even restricted media as well from recording or live telecasting the House proceedings,” he charged.

Be it Lok Sabha or Delhi Vidhan Sabha, it is ”a standard procedure” for the House proceedings to be aired live to make it available to the public, he said.

”People have the right to know what is happening in the House proceedings. They should be able to witness which of their problems or development schemes their representative is addressing, and whether their interests are being represented well or not,” Bharadwaj added. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manoj Tiwari on Saturday slammed the Delhi government for banning the Chhath puja celebrations in the national capital and said the party will hold protests in the city if the ban is not lifted.

Speaking to ANI, Tiwari said that the Aam Aadmi Party-led government’s decision to ban Chhatt Puja is very shocking. “We will celebrate Chhath as per the COVID protocol like other things are happening,” he stated.

“If the celebration of Chhath is obstructed by the Delhi government in any way, then we will be compelled to protest against this decision. It is our endeavor that there should be no politics on Chhath Puja,” he added. Tiwari said he had called various Chhath puja organising committees in the national capital to his residence for a meeting on Friday, to discuss the issue.

He said that around 223 Chhath puja committees came to his residence and everyone expressed great displeasure and disappointment on the Delhi government’s decision. “We have explained to them that now that the government has taken a decision, we will talk with them. We are confident that there will be a positive outcome of the discussion,” he stated.

The BJP leader added they the party had sought time from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal to consider this matter.

“We will soon have a meeting with LG,” he said. Tiwari said that Chhath Vrat is a festival of great reverence for which vows are made from year to year. “Those who do not have children or have any other wish, they worship for a whole year and complete it with Chhath fast. The Chhath festival should be allowed,” he stated.

“According to me, if the government makes both the doses of vaccines mandatory to celebrate Chhath, it will not only solve the issue of celebration but will also encourage people to get fully vaccinated,” he added. Tiwari said he was “astonished” by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority’s (DDMA) order banning Chhath celebration in the national capital.

“All markets are open, the metro is running, cinema halls have also started and in the midst of all this, the upcoming festivals like Ramlila have also been allowed with some condition. Then why was it decided to ban Chhath completely?” he asked.

The Delhi government on Thursday stated the Chhath puja celebration shall not be allowed in public places, public grounds, river banks and temples citing the COVID-19 pandemic in the national capital.

An order issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) advised the public to celebrate Chhath puja at their homes. (ANI)

NEW DELHI, (PTI): Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence here on Wednesday, raising speculation over his future in politics.

Singh arrived in the national capital on Tuesday, days after he quit as the chief minister of Punjab.

The meeting assumes significance as Singh had not opened his cards but had claimed that he had not quit politics and would fight till the end.

The veteran Congress leader had also launched a scathing attack on his bete noire, Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was appointed as the party’s Punjab unit president.

Sidhu quit as the Punjab Congress chief on Tuesday.

As regards his political future, Singh had said there were several options before him. (PTI)