The force has so far arrested 1,571 people in connection with the Delhi riots, police said (File)

Delhi Police chief SN Shrivastava Tuesday said the force is serving its oath and the Constitution with conviction and integrity, asserting its investigations in criminal cases are guided by facts and evidence not by reputations and personalities.

Responding to former IPS officer Julio Ribeiro's recent letter in which he had questioned the police's investigation in the Delhi riots, Mr Shrivastava said there are several entities who have their reasons to weave a "web of deception" and push a "false narrative of bias and insensitivity" on the part of the police.

"The Delhi Police is serving the oath and the Constitution with conviction, integrity and sensitivity, without fear of any self-proclaimed 'true patriots' or favour towards any class, creed or community," Mr Shrivastava said in an e-mail reply to Mr Riberio.

The Delhi Police Commissioner said the force has so far arrested 1,571 people in connection with the riots without differentiating on the basis of caste or religion, and they are almost equally distributed among both the communities.

The police investigations in criminal cases are guided by facts and evidence, not by reputations and personalities, he said.

Mr Shrivastava said Ribeiro in his letter has correctly mentioned registration of 751 FIRs into the northeast riots, adding the very fact of registering of such a large number of FIRs signals the Delhi Police's intention of a fair dealing.

"While we do not differentiate a complainant on the basis of caste or religion, it may be mentioned solely for the purpose of clearing any doubt in the minds of people questioning our probe, that more than 410 FIRs were registered on the complaints of minority community," Mr Shrivastava said.

The other community accounted for over 190 FIRs, he said, adding the remaining were registered on the basis of Daily Diary entries.

"It is best that the criminal justice system, with its inherent checks and balances may be allowed to work, lest lending one's name inadvertently imparts a false aura of credibility and authenticity to these concocted and motivated stories," he said.

Also, anybody aggrieved with the investigation can always seek judicial remedies, he said.

The Delhi Police has examined a large majority of persons who either have a role in the northeast Delhi riots or have information that will help arrive at the truth, Mr Shrivastava said, adding the police have questioned persons without regard to their religion and party affiliation.

"It has collected documentary evidence, including scientific evidence, to support its case. The specific details, understandably, cannot be shared at this stage," he said.

"Chargesheets in many cases have been filed while investigation is continuing in many others. The above details have been given to dispel any impression that one may harbour," he said.

Ribeiro, a former Mumbai Police chief, has been among a select group of eminent citizens who have been raising various issues concerning law and justice.

"As a career police officer who has held numerous responsible positions, you (Ribeiro) are aware of the false perceptions that are often created by interested groups," Mr Shrivastava added.

On Monday, Mr Shrivastava had said a charge sheet will be filed by Thursday in connection with a conspiracy case in the northeast Delhi riots as the force is approaching towards the final league of investigation.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwaha had also said the riots were result of a "planned conspiracy" because during the investigation, the police found a common pattern the anti-CAA protesters followed: block the road traffic.

"It was the first indicator that there was a conspiracy due to which it all started," he had said.

The Police chief had also said the some people with "good social media presence" were trying to "take away the sheen from the investigation".

"As we are approaching towards the final end of investigation, Umar Khalid (former JNU student) has also been arrested. So, there is more and more sort of a cry, especially in the social media and also on the TV channels. (They) are trying to take away the sheen from the investigation.

"You know that people whom we are investigating, many (of them) have a very good social media presence," the Commissioner had said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Objective of the ambitious project is to position New Delhi railway station as a multimodal hub (File)

France's state-owned railway company SNCF, the GMR Group and the Adani Group are among 20 entities that have shown interest in redeveloping the New Delhi railway station into a world-class multimodal hub.

At a pre-bid meeting on Tuesday, around 20 national and international firms -- such as the SNCF, the Arabian Construction Company, the GMR, the Adani Group, the JKB Infra, Anchorage Infrastructure -- participated.

The project, being implemented by the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), is estimated to cost Rs 6,500 crore and will be completed in around four years.

"The redevelopment of New Delhi Railway Station has attracted interest from leading global firms," RLDA Vice Chairman Ved Parkash Dudeja said.

The objective of the ambitious project is to position the New Delhi railway station as a multimodal hub through upgradation of the infrastructure and provision of state-of-the-art amenities such as an elevated concourse, a multi-level car parking and much more facilities.

The project would be developed on a Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) model for a concession period of 60 years.

"The project aims to transform New Delhi Railway Station into a world-class transit hub, in line with the Prime Minister's vision of New India. This station will be a one-stop destination for retail, commercial and hospitality. It will also boost real estate and ensure cascading development of New Delhi and surrounding regions," Mr Dudeja said.

The concessionaire will earn revenues from several components including passenger handling fees collected via ticket sales, revenues from passenger facilities within the station such as retail areas, lounges, parking, advertisement spaces, food and beverages, income from the development and lease of the commercial components to name a few, the RLDA said in a statement.

The phased exercise encompasses redevelopment of station and associated infrastructure, relocation of social infrastructure as well as the refurbishment of offices and quarters.

Other aspects include developing food courts and restrooms, an elevated concourse with segregation for arriving and departing passengers, and refurbished platforms with easy access from the concourse level.

The redevelopment plan also envisions mezzanine level exclusively for passenger facilities such as lounges, an elevated road network with multiple entry and exit points.

Green building provisions such as optimum use of natural ventilation and lighting will also be a key highlight of the redeveloped station.

New Delhi Railway Station is the largest and second busiest station in the country and handles approximately 4.5 lakh passengers daily (approximately 160 -170 million passengers annually).

The station handles 400 trains per day which are expected to increase due to higher operational efficiencies resulting from the redevelopment and better yard utilization.

The RLDA is currently working on 62 stations in a phased manner while its subsidiary, IRSDC has taken up another 61 stations for redevelopment.

In the first phase, the RLDA has prioritised prominent stations like New Delhi, Tirupati, Dehradun, Nellore, and Puducherry for redevelopment.

Railway stations across the country will be redeveloped on a PPP Model as a part of Smart City Projects launched by the government.

The RLDA is a statutory body under the Ministry of Railways for development of vacant railway land for commercial use in line with the objective to generate revenue by non-tariff measures.

Currently, the approximately 43,000 hectares of Railways land are lying vacant.

The RLDA has over 79 sites across India for leasing and the eligible developers for each will be selected through an open and transparent bid process.

The RLDA is currently also handling 84 railway colony redevelopment projects and has recently leased out a railway colony in Guwahati for redevelopment.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)