2 YOUTHS OFFER JOYRIDE, RAPE MINOR GIRL

A minor girl was allegedly gangraped by two youths who offered her a joyride outside the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib on the night of January 5.

Confirming the gang-rape, BK Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) said, “The complainant was walking along the footpath of the Baba Kharak Singh marg at around 9 pm when the accused, Paramdeep Singh along with his cousin, started following her.

One of the accused, Paramdeep introduced himself and offered her a ride in his White Swift Dzire car, which was parked in the parking lot of the Bangla Saheb Gurudwara.”

(THE PIONEER)

NDMC CRACKDOWN ON 16 KHAN MARKET OUTLETS

Civic Body Partially Seals Eateries, Shops; Drive Over For Now

New Delhi: The sealing drive at Khan Market continued on Tuesday with an inspection team of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) taking action against 16 more commercial establishments. On Monday, NDMC partially sealed eight establishments.

Following the directives of amonitoring committee appointed by the Supreme Court, the drive was launched against shops and restaurants located on the first floor or above. According to NDMC officials, the establishments partially sealed on Tuesday included lounges and restaurants such as Chatter House, Civil House, Mamagoto, The Blue Door Cafe, Parallel Craft Kitchen, La Bodega and The Beer Cafe; high-end designer shops such as Anita Dongre and Raghavendra Rathore; and retail shops Fabindia and Sham Di Hatti.

After the sealing action, Civil House, a popular restaurant, had shut for the day. “We have been directed to remove some sections by NDMC officials. The shed for the water filter will be removed. We have closed down for the day due to hygiene issues,” said an employee on the condition of anonymity. La Bodega has been directed to remove metal beams while portions of other establishments were sealed for misuse of terrace area.

Officials carried out doorto-door inspection to check violations for illegal use of space and unauthorised construction. The drive, which started at 10.30am, concluded around 6.30pm. Officials said that until further orders, there won’t be any more sealing drive at Khan Market.

“As per the norms, no commercial activity is allowed on terrace and following the committee’s order, we have taken action against all those violating the norms openly,” said a senior NDMC official.

As people stayed away from the usually busy market, many traders complained about losses. Many also shut the shop early fearing action.

However, Anshu Tandon, president of restaurants’ association of Khan Market, said, “We have no complaint against NDMC for Tuesday’s drive. On Monday, many establishments were sealed wrongly. If any owner is using a space that is not permitted by law, it will be sealed. But the confusion is still there as the order of the monitoring committee and that of NDMC are contradictory.” A delegation of restaurant owners met officials from the Union urban development ministry on Tuesday, added Tandon.

Sanjiv Mehra, president of Khan Market traders’ association, said, “We tried to meet the NDMC chairman as well but he was not available. We will approach him again.”

(TOI)

POWERLIFTING CHAMP, 4 FRIENDS DIE SPEEDING IN FOG ON NH-1

Were On Way To Murthal Dhaba For Parathas

Pankhuri Yadav, Hindol Basu & Manvir Saini TNN

New Delhi/Chandigarh: World powerlifting champion Saksham Yadav and four of his gym partners, themselves powerlifters, were killed and a fifth friend critically injured when they were speeding

through dense fog on the Delhi-Panipat highway (NH-1) early Sunday morning and their Swift Dzire hit the road divider and two poles, careered out of control and flipped over many times. They had been on their way to a Murthal dhaba to eat parathas.

Police said the accident occurred due to speed and low visibility due to fog. “The speed of the car was very high, and we found a few bottles around so the possibility of drunken driving has not been ruled out,” said DCP (Rohini) Rajneesh Gupta.

PCR staff present at the spot alerted Alipur police station at about 4am, the police said. All six people had to be extricated from the mangled car; they were taken to a nearby private hospital where four of the 21-year-old powerlifting champion’s gym partners — Tikamchand (27), Saurabh

(18), Yogesh (24) and Harish Rai (20) — were declared dead. Saksham and Rohit were rushed to Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh; from there Saksham was referred to AIIMS Trauma Centre at 9.10am because his condition was deteriorating. After battling for life for over 14 hours, he died.

Witnesses say it all looked like a stunt

He had three cardiac arrests, twice at Max and once in the Trauma Centre,” the AIIMS bulletin said. “The 21-year-old was extremely critical, with low chances of survival, and was declared dead at 6.38pm.”

Police said all six of them had met at Tikamchand’s house in Timarpur, north Delhi. After that, they had roamed the area for over two hours before finally deciding to drive to Murthal for parathas.

The Dzire, the police said, hit the divider barely 100 metre from the Singhu border. Trying to regain control, the driver swung sharply to the left, crashed into two poles standing together and then flipped over at least three times.

Eyewitnesses told TOI the accident looked like an action movie stunt. “I work at a petrol pump and the accident took place just in front of it. It was around 3.50am, a few of us were here when we saw a car heading towards the border at high speed. The fog was dense. The entire incident took place in just a few seconds. Before we could react, the car had turned turtle,” said Harun Ansari.

Yadav, a resident of Nangloi in north Delhi, won gold for India at the senior powerlifting world championship in Moscow, organised by the World Powerlifting Congress, in 2017. He had also bagged gold in the world junior and sub-junior powerlifting championship in Poland in 2016.

“Tikamchand was a veteran on the circuit. Some others were junior lifters who had a great career ahead of them. It’s a big loss for the sport,” Indian Powerlifting Federation president Mohit Suri said. The Dzire, bearing a ministry of defence sticker, belonged to Saksham’s elder sister, Isha, who works with DRDO. Police said they had lodged an FIR.

(TOI)

ROAD RAGE: YOUTHS ROUGH UP CITY BUREAUCRAT, WIFE

Road rage: Youths rough up city bureaucrat, wife

Ram Car Into Their SUV, Accuse Official Of Driving Rashly

In an apparent case of road rage, a senior DANICS official and his wife were harassed and roughed up by a few youths on August Kranti Marg on Wednesday night. The youths first rammed their car into the official's Ford EcoSport and then accused him of driving rashly .

They asked the official to pay for the damage and when his wife tried to intervene, the youths abused her as well.One of the youths made a vi deo of the woman and even allegedly touched her inappropriately .

The officer, currently posted with Delhi government, said that he left his house in Asiad Village around 11.15pm with his wife and two daughters. His elder daughter was supposed to board a flight for a trip to Spain with her classmates. She was supposed to reach school by 11.30pm, after which the class was to leave for the airport.

“While I was crossing the traffic light, it turned amber before I could reach the other side. A Swift car suddenly zigzagged towards us and rammed my car. The driver then stopped his vehicle ahead of mine and four youths stepped out and started abusing us,“ said the official. When he tried calling the PCR, the youths heckled him.

Fortunately, a Delhi Police sub-inspector who was passing by stopped and intervened. In the meantime, the youths called their friends.“Soon 10-15 men came and started arguing with the policeman. I tried to pacify the men, but the cop advised me to stay away while he controlled the group,“ the official said.

One of the youths, later identified as Rahul, started making a video of the argument on his phone. He then stopped near the official's wife and started shooting her.When she protested, he pushed her repeatedly and even touched her inappropriately in presence of her minor daughters.

Hearing his wife's calls for help, the official pushed away the youth and asked his wife and daughter to leave. “A taxi driver passing by offered to drop my daughter at her school and did not even charge us for it. I asked my wife to return to the police station,“ said the official.

Soon, cops arrived and one of the youths was taken to Hauz Khas police station. During interrogation, he tried to mislead the policemen saying that he was alone when the incident happened. However, he later revealed that one Sagar Pawar was driving the vehicle and they were accompanied by Rahul and Mahender.All of them were drunk and going to their homes in Shahpur Jat.

Additional DCP Nupur Prasad said that a case under IPC sections 354A (physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (outraging the modesty of a woman), 279 (rash driving) has been registered against the men. The youths were produced before a court and sent to custody for 14 days.

Police said that two of the accused are pursuing BBA from a private university in Noida and the other two own businesses in south Delhi.

(TOI)

CAPITAL'S AIR QUALITY DETERIORATES

CAPITAL'S AIR QUALITY DETERIORATES

The National Air Quality Index (NAQI) on Thursday measured air pollutants value four times higher than its safer limit.

Noxious air quality once gain has created uneasiness among city people. With rising levels of Particulate Matters, people have started complaining nausea and other breathing related problem.

Notably, air quality meters of all major pollution watch institutions have started showing “red mark” with gradual escalations of mass concentration of PM 10 and PM 2.5.

On Thursday, real time ambient meters of US Embassy was marked “hazardous” on Delhi air quality. Real time ambient meters of US Embassy has measured PM 10 value at 346 micro cubic per gram in Anand Vihar that is three times higher than its safer limit.

Not only Suspended Particulate Matters (SPM) but concentration of gaseous particles was also high. Values of Oxides of Nitrate, Benzene and Nitrogen oxide were also high on the ambient air index of DPCC meters.

In a bid to curb air pollution in winter, the Delhi Government on Thursday wrote to customs and the Delhi Police for prohibiting import and sale of harmful crackers. 

Environment Minister Imran Hussain said in its review meeting it has been decided to have effective coordination among all the pollution controlling agencies, including Districts Magistrates and SDMs (Revenue Department), Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), Delhi Police, Traffic Police, Petroleum and Exposure Safety Organization (PESO) of Department of Explosive, Directorate of Education.

Also, Hussain said in order to keep pollution under control even as Delhites enjoy the festival season there is need for the compliance of orders of the Supreme Court dated July18, 2005 in WP(C) No. 72 of 1998 with Civil Appeal No. 3735 of 2005 regarding noise pollution and prevention especially relating to complete ban on bursting of sound emitting fire crackers between 10 and 6.

The Minister gave the instruction for the implementation of explosive rules with respect to fireworks by the manufacturers and inspecting teams comprising of area SDMs and Executive Engineers (DPCC) to be constituted to check availability of imported fire crackers in the market.

The Delhi Government has launched an anti fire cracker campaign to be

observed for the ongoing festive season. The Government is seeking active cooperation of all the enforcement agencies to monitor air and noise pollution especially during the festival season.

Sources in the DPCC said the Government is planning to implement the third phase of car rationing odd- even scheme in December. 

(THE PIONEER)

AHEAD OF MEGA PTM AT DELHI GOVT SCHOOLS, TEACHERS SAY UNPREPARED

Ahead of mega PTM at Delhi govt schools, teachers say unprepared

With only a day left for the second mega parent teacher meeting (PTM) in Delhi government schools, teachers say they are not prepared.

The government had asked schools to focus on the first term results of students at this meeting. But some teachers have expressed difficulty in preparing results before Saturday as they had got only two days to do the work after the schools reopened.

Teachers claim it usually takes around two weeks to prepare the exam results. The exams got over on October 6 after which schools were shut till October 12 for Dussehra.

Read: Bridging the gap: When teachers met parents

“The first term exams got over on October 6 and vacations started from October 7. Schools reopened on October 13. Teachers had only two working days to prepare results,” said Ajay Veer Yadav, general secretary of Government School’s Teachers Association (GSTA).

Yadav said many government schools have over 3,000 students and preparing full results in just two days is difficult. “Schools with fewer students can still manage. But many schools have more than 3,000-4,000 students and it is extremely difficult for teachers to prepare results in only two days. Teachers have been asked to stay back till late evening,” he said.

Over 1,100 government schools will hold the second such parent-teacher meeting on October 15 and give results of this first term exams, after over two months of holding the first mega PTM.

However, principals claimed they will prepare the results in time to share it with parents on Saturday at the PTM.

“My school has over 4,000 students but we have almost prepared our results. It will be complete by today and parents will be given the results tomorrow. Yes the time was less but it was manageable,” said Seema Roy Choudhary, principal of Government Girls Senior Secondary School in New Kondli.

The focus of this PTM will be on sharing results of the first term exams held since the government started its ambitious Chunauti 2018 scheme to improve learning levels and taking feedback from parents.

Read: AAP’s social media, public outreach paid dividends for mega PTM

For morning shift schools, the PTM will be held between 8am to 1pm and for evening shift schools, it will be held between 2pm to 7pm, officials said.

Schools have been asked to brief parents of students in Class IX about the no-detention policy. “The criteria regarding minimum 25% score in Summative Assessments shall be made clear to the parents. The importance of attendance will also be explained to parents. 75% attendance is compulsory to appear in the final exam,” a directorate of education (DOE) circular said.

Schools have to show the answer sheets of student if the parents ask for it, officials said. “The feedback received from parents will be noted down by teachers who have also been asked to show classwork and homework notebooks of students,” a principal said.

(HT)

IN AIR QUALITY, VICTORY OF EVIL OVER GOOD

In air quality, victory of evil over good

Faridabad, Ggn, Delhi Among Top 5 Polluted Cities On Dussehra: CPCB Data

The ritual of marking the victory of good over evil -burning Ravana effigies -had quite the opposite effect on air quality in Delhi-NCR, with the capital, Gurgaon and Faridabad among the five most polluted cities in the country on Dussehra, according to data on 25 cities released by the Central Pollution Control Board.

Faridabad witnessed the worst pollution levels and had an air quality index (AQI) of 270, followed by Gurgaon (238) and Delhi (223), according to the CPCB report.The measurements were taken between October 11 afternoon and October 12 afternoon. Air quality index is calculated by measuring the levels of various pollutants to come up with a number that denotes overall pollution. An AQI of 201-300 is `poor', ac cording to Indian standards.

The five most polluted cities were Faridabad, Lucknow (264), Chandrapur (248), Gurgaon and Delhi. A senior official of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) said effigy-burning and reckless cracker bursting may bring temporary thrill to people but has a longterm adverse impact on environment and health. Jaipur, Jodhpur, Muzaffarpur, Panchkula and Solapur were slightly less polluted.

“For NCR cities, which include Faridabad and Gurgaon, it was bad as the PM 2.5 levels were very high, which can cause breathing discom fort to the people,“ the official said, adding the air quality was not expected to improve in the next 48 hours.

Before Dussehra, the PM 2.5 level (fine particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres) in Gurgaon was 90 micrograms per cubic metre, but after the festivities on Tuesday , it shot up to 318. In Faridabad, the PM 2.5 level before Dussehra was 106, and after the celebrations, it went up to 169. According to the real-time pollution monitoring machine, the PM 2.5 level at one point increased from 238 to 395 on Wednesday in Gurgaon.

Niranjan Raje, a former member of the Expert Appraisal Committee of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change, said, “These days plastic materials are heavily used in making effigies. Earlier, bamboo sticks were used. Besides, Chinese crackers cause more pollution.“

 (toi)

MUHARRAM OBSERVED PEACEFULLY

MUHARRAM OBSERVED PEACEFULLY

Muharram was observed peacefully in various parts of the city with heavy police deployment in sensitive areas like Trilokpuri and post-sundown traffic as  processions made their way to south Delhi’s Jor Bagh.

Members of the Shia community chanted slogans of ‘Ya Hussein’ during the ceremonial mourning of the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammed’s grandson Imam Hussein, while Sunnis also offered prayers, observed fast and distributed alms on the occasion. On this day, Muslims remember Hussein, who died fighting the forces of caliph Yazid around 1,400 years ago at Karbala in Iraq.

Several taziya processions, taken out from various parts of the city, culminated at Karbala in Jor Bagh in South Delhi. Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh Marg to Aurobindo Marg was closed for traffic movement in view of this. Police officials said there was tight security cover in all districts in the wake of the terror alert issued by intelligence agencies.

“There was heavy security cover on all stretches that saw tazia processions. Cops were deployed in Trilokpuri that had recently witnessed a clash between two groups. “Police officials of the district held meetings with peace committees before Muharram to take stock of the situation,” said a senior police officer. Processions passed through several old Delhi regions, affected traffic flow in areas like Paharganj bridge, Ajmeri Gate, Chelmsford Road, Connaught Place, Parliament Street, Red Cross Road, Tughlak Road and Aurobindo Marg. Traffic was heavy on Rani Jhansi Road, Rohtak Road, Kamal T Point towards Zakhira owing to

tazia processions.

Areas like Old Delhi’s Chhota Bazar, Bara Bazar and Shia Jama Masjid areas, the ITO junction, Okhla, Nizamuddin and Mehrauli areas also witnessed traffic jams. Roads between Madarsa T-point and INA, Moti Nagar and Inderlok, Zakhira and Inderlok were closed for tazia processions and diversions were put in place around Connaught Place and Ring Road.

(the pioneer)

3HR-DRAMA OVER IGI RADIOACTIVE LEAK SCARE

3hr-drama over IGI radioactive leak scare

There was frenzied activity at the IGI Airport on Sunday over a false alarm about a radioactive leak. The alarm spread after a consignment of Sodium Molybdate, a radioactive material used in nuclear medicine and fertiliser, arrived by an Air France Flight for a Delhi hospital. An employee of a private company handling the cargo saw the radioactive tags, took a radiation reading but misinterpreted it, creating panic, said sources.

The 'Radiological Emergency' was withdrawn after nearly three hours as the emission was found within permissible limits, but not before the CISF evacuated the terminal area and cordoned off the spot.Personnel of Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Services, National Disaster Management Authority , Department of Atomic Energy and Atomic Energy Regulatory Board were roped in.

One of the loaders present during the high drama told TOI: “ A consignment of 16 packets of chemical used in cancer treatment arrived by Air France AF 226 around 10.30pm on Saturday . Around 11am on Sunday , while unloading, six packets somehow rea ched a non-designated area and created panic.“

Immediately , a team of the National Disaster Response Force was rushed to the spot, the area sanitised and the cargo complex vacated. After a thorough detection and identification of the material, the area was declared safe at 1.55pm. The airport operator, DIAL, tweeted after the incident that flight operations remained normal throughout.

Releasing a statement, district magistrate Abhishek Singh said a radiological emergency message was conveyed inadvertently . “The quantity of radiation emitted from the nuclear medicine was below 1 mill rongen (measurement of radiation). There is no beta radiation in the surrounding areas and there is no leakage.Hence, it cannot be termed as an emergency ,“ said Singh.

Air France, which had transported the parcel to the IGI from Paris, issued a state ment later in the evening: “The transport of this type of material is subject to strict rules and carried out in accordance with the international regulations. Air France reminds that the security of its customers and crews is its top priority.“

This is not the first time that IGI has faced such a scare.On May 29 last year, the cargo terminal reported a similar incident. Even though it was a false alarm, sources said the first team of respondents arrived more than two-and-a-halfhours after the incident was reported. This triggered a series of meetings and the level of preparedness was heightened to tackle similar situations.

Senior NDMA and AERB officials said that they had their teams on a standby at more than two dozen locations in Delhi for handling such situations. They also said that regular training programmes were conducted to train the police, CISF , cargo officers and even residents in handling such incidents before experts arrive.

SK Mishra, senior consultant, Nuclear and Radiological Emergency Management, said: “Strict regulatory controls are needed to minimise radiological emergencies, more so because of large-scale use of radioactive elements in industries and hospitals.“

(TOI)

JUNG GREETS DELHI ON THE EVE OF DUSSEHRA

Jung greets Delhi on the eve of Dussehra

Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung on Monday greeted people on the eve of Dussehra wishing peace, prosperity and happiness in the lives of all on the festival.

"May the festival usher in peace, happiness and prosperity for all. May it strengthen our bonds ever more. I wish everyone a happy Dussehra," Jung said in his message.

The festival of Dussehra depicts the victory of good over evil. It is the celebration of Shakti and Bhakti and symbolises our inner struggle to rise to higher levels of consciousness.

Extending his "heartiest" greetings to the people in Delhi on the occasion of Dussehra, Jung said the festival guides us in the path of righteousness.

(THE STATESMAN)

TRILOKPURI TENSE AS TWO GROUPS CLASH

Trilokpuri tense as two groups clash

Row Over Change Of Rs 500 Sparks Tension

Tension prevailed in east Delhi's Trilokpuri after two groups clashed over a monetary dispute on Saturday evening.

Miscreants started pelting stones and tried to give a communal colour to the tension.The situation, however, was controlled by the police through the Aman Committee formed after the riots that erupted in the area in October 2014.

Paramilitary forces have been stationed in the area and the local police have been asked to maintain a strict vigil for the next few days. Sleuths of the special branch are gathering intelligence about possible bids by miscreants to disturb peace in the area.

The incident took place in Block 32, which had witnessed violence two years ago.Two groups of gamblers got into an argument over change of Rs 500 in the afternoon. The elderly men of the area intervened and stopped the scuffle.

However, in the evening, a group thrashed the man who had gone to ask for change while he was buying vegetables in the market. Soon two groups formed and they began hurling abuses at each other with religious overtones. Six people were injured in the subsequent clash and were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Saturday's clash reminded local residents of the 2014 riots. Residents shut themselves inside their houses as the police began a march in the area. “Both the groups started pelting stones at each other, leaving many injured. We were afraid that this would escalate into communal tension and vulnerable people like us would have to pay the price for someone else's quarrel again,“ said Meena, a shopkeeper.

“We were left with no option but to confine ourselves in our houses till the police assured us that there was nothing to fear,“ said Uttam Singh, a resident. Senior police officers said that many teams were rushed to Trilokpu ri as soon as they got a call about the clash.

“The mob not only pelted stones but also threw glass bottles at each other. Though the fight lasted for about 30 minutes, we did not come out on the streets for hours,“ said Kasif, another shopkeeper.

Even the Aman Committee members were not spared by the miscreants and were attacked when they tried to stop the brawl. “We are trying to make more youngsters a part of the committee as they are the ones who can connect with the youth,“ said Babu Ali, a member of the committee. “A rioting case has been registered and we are questioning a few suspects to identify the miscreants,“ said a senior police officer.

(Toi)

EVERY CHILD CAN READ CAMPAIGN KICK-STARTS

EVERY CHILD CAN READ’ CAMPAIGN KICK-STARTS

The Delhi Government on Sunday started the first phase of Reading Melas and this will take place on all Sundays till November 14. 

The State Council for Educational Research & Training (SCERT) is holding training sessions for the School Management Committee members on Saturdays and providing them with the requisite material with the target to prepare every child for reading and learning under 'Every Child Can Read Programme'.

School Management Committee (SMC) members will organise 'Reading Melas' in community spaces or schools, where children and their parents will jointly work on ensuring the children's ability to read.

The first few Melas were conducted on a pilot basis while from October 17 there will be more than 250 such Reading Melas across the city, Government release said.

Education Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said our efforts to transform education require active support from members of the community that the children are from. "If an environment of academic rigour and learning is created, children will be encouraged to pursue educational prowess. Reading Melas will bring together schools, parents, children and the community in non-classroom spaces for the first time," said Sisodia.

Volunteers identified by SMC members will conduct the Melas and use various Government-provided tools through which reading can be learnt in a fun way. Various activities and games involving children and their parents will be organised to improve their ability to read letters, words, sentences and paragraphs.

"This initiative is aimed at closely integrating the community in the educational pursuits of children, so as to create an environment of learning. It is also an attempt at increasing parent awareness about their children's learning levels and involvement in their academic progress," said an official. 

(The pioneer)

THAT CHOKING SENSATION IS BACK!

That choking sensation is back!

Air Quality Dips After 3-Mth Respite, Worse Yet To Come

After a threemonth respite, Delhi has again started recording “poor“ air quality . Till this week, air quality was hovering between “good“ and “moderate“, but experts explained the seasonal transition will herald “poor“ conditions, which will possibly worsen over the next couple of months.

The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) showed PM 2.5 (fine, respirable pollution particles) level in “poor“ category on Saturday . The 24-hour average was around 109 micrograms per cubic metre against a safe standard of 60 micrograms, the highest recorded in three months. “It's a seasonal phenomenon,“ said a scientist.“The temperature has started falling after the retreat of the monsoon. Many parts of India have started to become colder than Delhi. This will influence air quality here. There is no wind too, making it conducive for pollution levels to rise.“

Delhi saw a long period of “good“ air quality this year because the rains were adequate, said experts. On Saturday , both the maximum and minimum temperatures were slightly above normal, but wind speed was very low. The wind speed date of Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) showed negative vertical wind speed at RK Puram around 7pm, while the horizontal wind speed here was less than 2 metres per second. “Mainly because of the calm conditions, the polluting particles are not getting dispersed,“ said a DPCC scientist.

The AQI in other cities such as Faridabad, Gurgaon, Kanpur, Agra, Jodhpur and Lucknow, normally more polluted than Delhi, had better “moderate“ or “satisfactory“ air quality on Saturday .

The Central Pollution Control Board's national air quality index monitoring showed a steady rise in PM 2.5 and PM 10 (coarse pollution particles) in Delhi, with AQI going up from 118 to 246 on Saturday . Scientists warned of “very poor“ to “severe“ levels in the festive season, particularly around Diwali, perhaps prompting the chief minister to ask the state environment department and DPCC to review the situation.

(toi)

PILOT WHO HAD KIDNEY TRANSPLANT SHOOTS HIMSELF IN MAYUR VIHAR

Pilot who had kidney transplant shoots himself in Mayur Vihar

A 61-year-old retired pilot allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with his licensed revolver at his house in Mayur Vihar on Saturday evening. The man, Anand Singh, was depressed over his health after he had undergone a kidney transplant six months back. Police said he fired two rounds, one of which grazed his wife when she tried to stop him.

Singh was found dead at Mavilla Apartments in Mayur Vihar Phase-I around 4 pm. Prima facie investigations suggest that he had an argument with his wife, Rajlaxmi (57), after which he shut himself in his bedroom.When Rajlaxmi went in to resolve the matter, Singh pulled out the revolver from a locker and fired at himself.Police say the bullet some how missed him, went past Rajlaxmi and hit the wall behind her. Before Rajlaxmi could react, Singh pressed the revolver against his temple, fired a second time and collapsed beside his bed.

Hearing the gunshots, Singh's younger daughter, Abhilasha (27), raised an alarm and alerted the neighbours, who called the cops.Singh was rushed to a private hospital nearby , where he was declared dead on arri val. DCP, East, Rishipal said the body was sent for an autopsy to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital.

Family members have told the cops that he has been staying alone for the past one-and-a-half months as Rajlaxmi and Abhilasha had travelled to Germany to meet Singh's elder daughter who is married and settled there.They had returned the previous night. “He used to seldom leave home after the sur gery and confined himself to the apartment while his wife and daughter were away,“ said M S Balakrishnan, Singh's neighbour.

Rajlaxmi has told the cops that Singh used to be restless and irritated over the constant medication after the surgery. Singh's driver, Giriraj Pandey, says that lately he was often losing his temper over small issues.

Police say they have not recovered any suicide note.Singh had taken voluntary retirement on medical grounds from the airline where he was working seven years back. The family had then shifted to Mayur Vihar The body will be handed over to the family on Sunday .Police say the revolver has been sent for forensic analysis. The ballistics and trajectory of the bullet fired from the revolver will be analysed. An inquest proceeding has been initiated.

(toi)

NAME OFFICIALS STALLING DENGUE FIGHT: SC TO GOVT

Name officials stalling dengue fight: SC to govt

The Supreme Court asked Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Friday to file an affidavit in three days substantiating his allegation that officials were reluctant to file an affidavit in the apex court on a PIL seeking coordinated efforts to tackle the outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases in the capital.

After going through Jain's affidavit, a bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur asked the Delhi government counsel to tell the health minister to file apersonal affidavit naming the officials who refused to file the affidavit detailing the steps taken by the government to curb the spread of dengue and chikungunya, and provide adequate healthcare to patients.

The bench told Jain that he had made “serious allegations“ against officials. Jain's affidavit was indicative of the tussle between the Centre and the AAP government after the Delhi high court upheld the lieutenant governor's primacy in administrative matters.

It also portrayed that the minister had to sign the affidavit as officials were reluctant to sign it fearing reprisal from the LG and the Centre.

Senior advocate Ajit Kumar Sinha, appearing for the LG, told the court that the AAP government was resorting to falsehood and that the LG or the Centre had never put pressure on any Delhi government official not to sign affidavits or follow lawful orders.

Declining more time so ught by the Delhi government counsel to prepare a list of reluctant officials, the bench clarified that since Jain had made the allegation, he would file the affidavit on Monday .

It also declined the AAP government's request to furnish the names of officials in sealed cover. “Since you have made the allegation in open court, you must make the names public. This is a serious issue,“ the bench said.

The SC had sought response from the Delhi government after taking suo motu notice of the death of a seven-year-old boy in the city due to dengue who was allegedly denied treatment in five private hospitals. In a tragic turn of events, his death triggered suicide by his parents.

Delhi to submit names on Monday

The Delhi government on Friday said it would submit an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Monday naming officials who have been “defying“ the administration's orders with specific instances of non-compliance. “The government will name officers not following its orders in the affidavit to be submitted on Monday,“ a source said. 

(toi)