A crowded market seen at Lajpat Nagar.(Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)Delhi Live News: Delhi on Tuesday reported 344 fresh Covid-19 cases and four deaths, while the positivity rate stood at 0.80 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. The national capital’s case count has now increased to 18,60,236. The death toll stands at 26,126, the latest health bulletin stated.
In other news, the bomb disposal squad was alerted after a hand grenade was reportedly found inside a house in Gurgaon’s sector 31 on Tuesday. The Gurgaon police cordoned off the area and asked residents in the vicinity to vacate their homes. A four feet trench has been dug up and the bomb disposal squad is carrying out an intensive search of the premises, according to officials.
Meanwhile, after several complaints of crowding and queues outside liquor shops, the Delhi government has decided to discontinue discounts, rebates and concessions on the MRP of liquor at stores. The Excise department issued an order to all L-72 licensees in this regard on Monday.
Delhi on Tuesday reported 344 fresh Covid-19 cases and four deaths, while the positivity rate stood at 0.80 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. The national capital's case count has now increased to 18,60,236. The death toll stands at 26,126, the latest health bulletin stated.
The Delhi zoo reopened for visitors on Tuesday after remaining closed for around two months in view of a spike in coronavirus cases in the capital, officials said on Tuesday. The zoo was closed for the public on January 4, and the online ticket booking link on its website was disabled. An official said the link was reactivated Monday night, and all 4,000 tickets were sold by 8:30 am when the zoo reopened.
"The ticket counters outside the zoo have already been closed. So, people are requested to book tickets online only two to three days in advance to avoid inconvenience," he said.
The Delhi government has approved the withdrawal of 17 cases registered during the anti-farm law stir, including one involving last year's Republic Day violence, a senior official said on Tuesday. He said the file related to the cases was sent by Lt Governor Anil Baijal's office to Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain on January 31.
It was approved by Jain and sent to the chief minister's office on February 25. The CMO sent the file to the L-G office on February 28 and it was approved the same day, the officer said. An official statement from the Delhi government stated the matter has been "escalated" and the "requisite files" have been sent to the L-G.
Students of classes 10 and 12 will no longer need to bring consent letters signed by their parents to attend offline classes in schools of Delhi, as per the Directorate of Education (DoE). For the first time in two years, schools in the national capital will open completely in offline mode for all classes from April 1, with the city's disaster management authority last week giving its nod to end the hybrid mode of operation.
"All schools may conduct offline classes for students of grade 10 and 12. Consent of parents for attending offline classes is not mandatory. Schools may also deploy transportation facilities for the convenience of students and parents with COVID-appropriate behaviour being followed," the DoE said in a letter to schools.
Posters were put up by the Hindu Sena on a statue of Russian poet Alexander Pushkin in New Delhi’s Mandi House, supporting the country’s invasion of Ukraine and an “Akhand Russia”.
While no complaint was received by the New Delhi Municipal Corporation or the Delhi Police, officials said action will be taken as a public statue cannot be defaced. Two identical posters were put on the pedestal underneath the statue, stating: “Indian Hindus are with Putin and Russia in establishing the Soviet Union. Jai ho Akhand Russia. Jai Bharat.”
An ongoing repair work by the Public Works Department will affect traffic movement from ITO to Tilak Marg here and cause inconvenience to commuters, officials said on Tuesday. "Traffic will remain slow as one lane is closed due to repair work by PWD from ITO to Tilak Marg side before Tilak Bridge," the Delhi Traffic Police said on Twitter. A PWD official said the road leading to Tilak Marg from ITO was broken and required maintenance.
The Delhi Police has arrested two gangsters in a late-night encounter at Alipur in Outer Delhi in which more than 22 rounds of bullets were fired by both parties, said officials.
The police said that the assailants came to Delhi with an intent to attack a policeman and rival gangsters. A woman sub-inspector received two bullets on her bullet-proof jacket while a head constable sustained minor injuries after a bullet hit him in the ear, added the police.
The arrested gangsters have been identified as Parvinder (31) and Tony (22). According to the police, they were sent by gangster Goldie Brar, who is allegedly operating from Canada, and his associate Kala Jathedi.
Two hand grenades have been found in Gurgaon. One hand grenade has been diffused in a controlled explosion by the bomb squad.
Virender Vij, DCP Gurgaon east, said, "We had received information about presence of ammunition in an unoccupied house in sector 31. The bomb disposal squad and several police teams have launched an operation. The bomb disposal squal is following a protocol and only after their probe is complete, we will be able to ascertain any details. We are checking with HUDA officials about the ownership of the house."
Two men have been booked for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor boy in Gurugram, the police have said. The police said the incident took place in June 2020, but the victim, who worked as domestic help, recently shared his ordeal with his parents, following which a complaint was reported and a First Information Report (FIR) registered. Read more
Delhi’s air quality in February this year has been the cleanest for the month since 2017, going by Central Pollution Control Board bulletins. Read more
To boost pedestrian safety, the Public Works Department (PWD) has decided to redevelop the footpath on both sides of the road from Indraprastha (IP) flyover to ITPO integrated tunnel works.
Under the redevelopment project, estimated to cost Rs 79.39 lakh, the footpath will be dismantled and rebuilt with a proper engineering plan in a bid to make it safer and more pedestrian-friendly. Read more
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Tuesday forecast light rainfall on March 2 and 3 in Delhi. The weather bureau said a western disturbance is also likely to affect parts of northwest India from March 2 onwards.
Along with rainfall to northwest India, it is likely to cause rainfall or snowfall over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. February recorded five days of rainfall this year, on account of western disturbances. Read more
The Indian Institute of Mass Communication Alumni Association Monday announced the winners of its sixth IFFCO IIMCAA Awards, where veteran journalist Chitra Subramaniam Duella and Madhuker Upadhyay along with Bharatnatyam dancer Padma Shri Geeta Chandran, Rahul Sharma and Partha Ghosh received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Read more
A Delhi court rejected the bail plea of a 55-year-old woman accused in the rape and assault of a young woman, who was also smeared with black ink and paraded on the streets in Shahdara in broad daylight.
Additional Sessions Judge Sanjeev Kumar Malhotra in an order passed on February 24, said the “shameful” incident occurred in a busy residential area, yet nobody came forward to rescue the assault survivor, which is a “black spot” on our society. Read more
Delhi on Monday recorded 258 fresh Covid-19 cases and zero deaths, the city health department data says. The positivity rate has further come down to 0.71 percent while the capital recorded zero Covid-related fatalities after a gap of two months. Delhi Metro services resumed with 100 percent capacity on Monday as all curbs were lifted following a decrease in the number of cases in the city.