The positivity rate is now at 1.68%. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)Delhi News Live Updates: Delhi on Saturday recorded 920 fresh Covid-19 cases and 13 more deaths. The positivity rate is now at 1.68%. On Friday, the city had reported 977 fresh Covid cases Friday, recording a daily tally of less than 1,000 after a period of 44 days. A positivity rate of less than 2% was recorded for the first time in 42 days on Friday.
Meanwhile, police have arrested a 38-year-old retired subedar for allegedly posing as a Delhi Police personnel and raping a 19-year-old woman at a park in Dwarka last month. The woman had alleged that she was raped and her friend assaulted and robbed by the man on the evening of January 28. She alleged they were approached by the man in khaki uniform, who claimed they were indulging in obscenity and threatened to file a complaint against them.
In other news, days after a 40-year-old woman sustained severe injuries after she fell from a moving e-rickshaw while resisting a robbery in Shahdara, police have arrested two men in connection with the crime. Police said they scanned over 500 CCTVs and detained at least 50-70 men in search of the accused. The duo has been identified as Manish Singh (41), who is involved in more than 106 robberies and other criminal cases, and Mohit Gupta (34). Police recovered a pistol from Manish’s possession. The men confessed to their involvement in the Shahdara case. The injured woman, Ritu Kumar, remains critical and is on ventilator support.
A delegation of AISA activists outside the Banga Bhawan, holding placards before submitting a memorandum demanding the release of all activists of AISA who were arrested on 7th February by West Bengal Police, in New Delhi on Friday. (Amit Mehra)
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday condoled the demise of noted industrialist Rahul Bajaj, remembering his contribution to the progress of the country.
Former chairman of the Bajaj Group Rahul Bajaj passed away on Saturday due to illness in Pune. He was 83.
"Saddened at the passing away of Shri Rahul Bajaj. A Pioneer of Industry in the post independence era and a man who successfully created one of India's most enduring and successful brands, Shri Bajaj will be missed for a long to come. My condolences to his family and friends," Baijal tweeted.
Kejriwal said Bajaj was a major contributor to the progress of the country on the economic front. "Received the very sad news of the death of the country's famous industrialist Rahul Bajaj. He made a big contribution to the progress of the country on the economic front. 'Buland Bharat Ki Buland Awaj' became a part of every household. My soulful condolences to such a great personality. May God place the departed soul at his feet," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. (PTI)
The national capital witnessed a clear sky on Saturday with the maximum temperature settling at 23.4 degrees Celsius, average for this time of the season, the India Meteorological Department said.
The minimum temperature settled at 8 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season's average, the IMD said. The relative humidity oscillated between 37 and 76 per cent.
The weather office has forecast moderate fog on Sunday morning. The maximum and minimum temperature are likely to settle around 24 and 7 degrees Celsius. The city's 24-hour air quality was recorded in the "moderate" category on Saturday evening. The air quality index (AQI) read 159 at 8.30 pm. (PTI)
Delhi on Saturday reported 920 fresh COVID-19 cases and 13 deaths, while the positivity rate dropped to 1.68 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.
With this, the national capital's case count increased to 18,50,516 and the death toll climbed to 26,060, the latest health bulletin stated. The number of COVID-19 tests conducted a day ago stood at 54,913, it said.
Delhi had on Friday and Thursday reported 977 and 1,104 cases with a positivity rate of 1.73 per cent and 2.09 per cent respectively, and 12 deaths each on both days.
The number of daily cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching the record high of 28,867 on January 13. (PTI)
Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), fire department and district administration, working to retrieve the body of a woman who died at a residential society when a part of the tower collapsed, Saturday procured cribs used in railways to stabilise the basement so they can remove the debris safely.
On Thursday evening, a large portion of the sixth floor collapsed all the way to the first floor at Chintels Paradiso society’s tower D in Gurgaon’s sector 109. Read more
The Director of Education (DoE) Saturday met Heads of Schools (HoSs) to “intensify preparations to empower Delhi students for the upcoming board exams” which are to be held from April 26 as announced by the CBSE. The opening of schools from Monday for students of Nursery to Class VIII was also on the agenda.
The DoE has asked schools to ensure that students of senior secondary sections, classes X and XII attend classes regularly. Read more
Days after a 40-year-old woman sustained severe injuries after she fell from a moving e-rickshaw while resisting a robbery in Shahdara, police have arrested two men in connection with the crime. Police said they scanned over 500 CCTVs and detained at least 50-70 men in search of the accused.
The duo has been identified as Manish Singh (41), who is involved in more than 106 robberies and other criminal cases, and Mohit Gupta (34). Police recovered a pistol from Manish’s possession. The men confessed to their involvement in the Shahdara case. The injured woman, Ritu Kumar, remains critical and is on ventilator support. Read more
The long wait for resumption of offline classes at the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) may end soon with the administration planning to issue a notification on this likely by Sunday.
Though a tentative date for reopening of the campus is not known yet, Waseem Ahmad Khan, Chief Proctor of the university, said it would open in a phased manner.
On courses that would be given priority for physical classes, Khan said PhD scholars whose submission dates are near and students in courses that require practical classes would be called first.
After the Delhi Disaster Management Authority issued guidelines to reopen all schools and colleges, several universities, including JNU and Delhi University, have announced resumption of offline classes. The Jamia Millia Islamia, however, is yet to make an announcement in this connection. (PTI)
While every central jail in Delhi reported Covid cases among inmates during the highly-transmissible Omicron fuelled third wave, the number 16 women's prison in Mandoli had a different story to tell.
"None of our inmates were infected, and they include small children," a senior official said, attributing the feat to strict protocols and lessons learnt from the second wave last year, which had crippled health systems across the country.
Inmates and doctors at the jail told PTI that besides protocols, authorities made sure there was availability of medicines, and teas or 'kadha' made of authorised herbs and turmeric mixed in milk were served to boost immunity. Homeopathic medicines provided by the AYUSH ministry was also given to staffers and prisoners, they said.
Established in 2017, the Central Jail No-16 or more commonly known as the Mandoli women's prison has 174 inmates, among whom 162 are under-trials and 12 convicts. (PTI)
Water supply to Shalimar Park, Mayur Vihar Phase-I and several other areas in Delhi have been affected due to repair work being undertaken after some damage in the Jal Vihar main line at Yamuna Vihar, the DJB said on Saturday.
In a tweet, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said, "URGENT UPDATE: Jal Vihar water main was damaged yesterday by DMRC at Zafrabad Road, Yamuna Vihar. The repair work of this line at 4mtr depth is in process and will take 12 hrs to complete the work." It also shared a picture of the site.
A response from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was awaited. "The supply of areas connected with Shalimar Park, Vishwakarma park, Dallupura, Mandawali 2, GT Rd Shahdara UGRs, Mayur Vihar Phase I, Pandav Nagr, Shakarpur, Mother dairy etc will be effected. (PTI)
Police have arrested a 38-year-old retired subedar for allegedly posing as a Delhi Police personnel and raping a 19-year-old woman at a park in Dwarka last month.
The woman had alleged that she was raped and her friend assaulted and robbed by the man on the evening of January 28. She alleged they were approached by the man in khaki uniform, who claimed they were indulging in obscenity and threatened to file a complaint against them. Read more
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has turned down a plea which sought an exemption from the ban on 10-year-old diesel vehicles in the Delhi-NCR on grounds of being disabled.
A bench comprising NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Sudhir Agarwal said such an application on a decided matter was not maintainable.
"Such applications in a decided matter cannot be allowed to be entertained for all times. In view of the above, the application is dismissed as not maintainable," it said.
The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Sarabjit A Singh seeking direction for grant of exemption to use a diesel vehicle in the Delhi-NCR area beyond the 10-year time limit on grounds that the applicant is 100 per cent disabled. The NGT had earlier dismissed the Centre's plea seeking modification of its order banning 10-year-old diesel vehicles in the Delhi-NCR. (PTI)
Jamia Millia Islamia has received funding from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to investigate the mental health benefits of Yoga and meditation using molecular tools and neuronal activity recordings, the university informed in a statement. The research will be carried out in collaboration with the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY).
“In the proposed research, the investigators will look at the brain imaging, brain activity, biochemical and neuro-physiological parameters in University students who may be susceptible to stress, anxiety or depression and provide intervention to deal with these complications. The students and staff will be enrolled from the University to participate in the study over the course of a three-year study. Yoga and other psychological interventions will be carried out both at JMI and MDNIY,” Jamia PRO Ahmed Azeem said in a statement. Read more
Two days after after a chunk of the sixth floor collapsed in Gurgaon’s Chintels Paradiso society, residents on Saturday began to protest against the builder of the society demanding structural audits in their societies. They residents alleged that the DTCP had ignored multiple complaints earlier of cracks in walls and seepage. The collapse of the roof resulted in the death of two and left one injured.
With Covid cases on the decline, authorities have lifted several restrictions in Gautam Buddh Nagar. As per the fresh orders, restaurants, gyms and cinema halls can function at full capacity. According to officials, the active case load in the district has dropped to less than 1,000, paving the way for the relaxations. Covid-appropriate behaviour must be observed, they said.
Night curfew will continue to be in place between 11 pm and 5 am. Not more than 200 persons will be allowed to attend weddings. Events can be held at open venues at 50 per cent capacity, the order said. Read more
A group of men and a woman allegedly attacked their relatives with sticks and sharp weapons over a property dispute in Northeast Delhi’s New Usmanpur area Friday. Police said two of the injured people were shifted to GTB Hospital. Cops have arrested a man named Jagat Singh (62) and have identified three of the other accused. His son, brother and nephew are being questioned. A case has been registered under sections pertaining to rioting and attempted murder.
Viral videos of the incident, uploaded on social media by locals, show three to four men and a woman brutally attacking people with sticks in the middle of the road in broad daylight. Read more
A musical on the life of Babasaheb Ambedkar, organised by the Delhi government which was earlier postponed due to the rise in Covid-19 cases, will now be held from February 25 to March 12, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Saturday. The chief minister said that the show will be free of cost, with limited seating.
"There will be two shows daily. Famous TV actor Ronit Roy will play Ambedkar's role," He added.
The security team at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the national capital nabbed a tout for a Green Park-based private diagnostic lab who was luring patients with the promise of cheaper tests.
According to the institute, this is the third instance in which the guards have caught touts from the same diagnostic lab in the last four months. AIIMS is carrying out a special drive to trace touts of various diagnostic labs who mislead people at the hospital, where all tests are available at nominal rates. Read more
Along with clear skies, the maximum temperature on Saturday in Delhi is likely to be 23 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature is likely to be 8 degrees Celsius. Strong winds at a speed of 25 to 35 kmph are likely over parts of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Western Uttar Pradesh over the next 24 hours, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
No significant change is likely in the minimum temperature over northwest India during the next 24 hours, but it could rise by 2 to 4 degrees thereafter, said an IMD update issued on Saturday morning. Read more
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Friday set up NGO cells at its headquarters and district units for better coordination between the administration, NGOs and people when needed. The idea of having an NGO cell at the DDMA headquarters and similar units at the district level was mooted in a meeting called by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) regarding Covid-19 and Omicron-related preparedness in January this year.
The purpose was to have the cells for better coordination between the administration, NGOs and people during an hour of need. An order issued by the DDMA on Friday stated that there will be an NGO Cell at its headquarter as well as in every District Disaster Management Authority. The SDM (DDMA) has been designated as the nodal officer for the NGO Cell. (PTI)
Both women were inside the safety of their homes, with loved ones, when tragedy struck. A large portion of the sixth floor collapsed all the way down to the first floor at Chintels Paradiso society’s tower ‘D’ in Gurgaon’s Sector 109, killing Ekta Bhardwaj (40) on the second floor and Sunita Srivastava (55) on the first floor, on Thursday.
“She had just entered the drawing room to answer the phone. Within seconds, it all came crashing down. It’s tragic,” said Ekta’s husband, Rajesh Bhardwaj, on the basis of whose complaint police have now filed an FIR against the Chintels MD, Ashok Solomon, under IPC Sections 304-A (causing death by negligence) and 34 (common intention). Read more