A healthcare worker administers a dose of Covid vaccine to a student in the age group of 12 to 14 years, at a vaccination centre in New Delhi on Wednesday (Express photo by Amit Mehra)Delhi News: With Covid vaccination for children aged 12-14 starting on Wednesday, schools are reaching out to students in different ways to get them to register. Delhi has received more than 6.3 lakh doses of Corbevax. The first day of the Covid vaccination drive for 12-14 year-old children saw a lukewarm response in the capital with the vaccinators hoping for a better turnout during the weekend when the schools are closed.
In South Delhi’s Greater Kailash 1, not a single beneficiary had visited the Pahariwala Gurdwara vaccination centre till noon where empty chairs were seen lined up as frontline workers chit-chatted among themselves, news agency PTI reported. A dingy corner near the parking area of the Pahariwala Gurdwara served as the vaccination site for the young beneficiaries. Asked about the response of the inoculation exercise on day one, vaccination officer Pradeep Kumar said that not a single dose has been administered so far.
Meanwhile, nearly two years after Markaz Nizamuddin was locked and public entry was prohibited in connection with an alleged case of violation of Covid-19 norms, the Delhi Police have permitted the management to hold prayers on four floors at Masjid Bangley Wali on Shab-e-Barat. However, only less than 100 people will be allowed on each storey, in accordance with the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDA) guidelines.
Having a marble-made Mughal-style 'baradari' as its centrepiece, the new 'Heritage Park' near the iconic Jama Masjid which has been developed using rich stocks of flowers and having structures built with traditional craftsmanship, will soon become a major tourist attraction, former Union minister Vijay Goel said on Wednesday.
The park, the first phase of which has been completed, spanning an area of about 1.75 acres, is slated to be inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on March 20.
"This park has been developed in an area that earlier had filth, encroachments, and a place that was also used by anti-social elements. Now, it has been transformed into a beautiful, vibrant recreational space that celebrates the heritage of Delhi," Goel told reporters during a preview of the park.
"If you want to see, what this looked like earlier, go to the other side of the boundary wall which has been earmarked for the second phase, towards the Jama Masjid side, and you will be able to appreciate the transformation. Once the second phase gets ready, the glory of this park will be further enhanced. It will soon become a major tourist attraction in Delhi," he said. (PTI)
Cushioned seats, overhead luggage racks, more standing space and a ‘premium’ section – these are some of the swanky features inside coaches that are to be part of India’s first rapid rail, unveiled by the National Capital Regional Transport Corporation (NCRTC) on Wednesday.
The Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) train will run on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor and cover a distance of 82 km in just 55 minutes. It will also be the first in the country to have a business or ‘premium’ coach on a regional corridor. Read more
It was a warm day in Delhi on Wednesday as the city recorded its highest maximum temperature of the season so far at 35 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal, the IMD said. The weather office predicted warmer days towards the weekend.
In the morning, the capital recorded the month's highest minimum temperature so far at 20.5 degrees Celsius, five notches above the season's average.
During the day, strong surface winds with speeds of 25 to 35 kmph swept across the region, the weather office said.
"The maximum temperature today (Wednesday) settled at 35 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal. This is also the highest maximum temperature so far this season," an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
"The skies will be mainly clear on Thursday. The days will get warmer as the maximum temperature in the city is likely to remain around 36 degrees Celsius towards the weekend," the official said. (PTI)
Over 43 per cent of underage drinkers have alcohol two to four times a week in Delhi and over 89 per cent of respondents had their first drink before 21 years, according to a new survey. The legal age of drinking in Delhi is 25 years.
Almost 44.5 per cent of respondents admitted to rash driving, speed biking and stunt biking after getting drunk. They also admitted to not following safety protocols such as wearing seat belts and helmets.
Of those surveyed, 35.8 per cent admitted that they got into brawls and 19.7 pc displayed aggressive behaviour towards the other gender after drinking.
The survey was conducted by Community Against Drunken Driving (CADD) from November 20 to December 31, 2021, among 10,000 people outside 50 prominent liquor vends, bars and restaurants. The respondents, 5976 males and 4024 females, were below the age of 25 years. (PTI)
Prafull Singh, a Delhi Metro employee, has set Guinness World Records for clocking “the fastest time to travel across all metro stations,” and becoming the first person to cover 348-km-network of the Metro in 16 hours and two minutes.
In a Twitter post, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) posted a picture of Singh holding the Guinness world record certificate/award at a Metro station and said, “DMRC employee Prafull Singh has entered into the Guinness World Records for recording the ‘Fastest time to travel to all Metro stations. This makes him the first person to travel to 254 stations covering 348 km in just 16 hrs and 2 minutes,” adding, “The DMRC family is proud of Prafull’s feat.” Read more
The first day of the Covid vaccination drive for 12-14 year-old children saw a lukewarm response in the capital with the vaccinators hoping for a better turnout during the weekend when the schools are closed.
In South Delhi's Greater Kailash 1, not a single beneficiary had visited the Pahariwala Gurdwara vaccination centre till noon where empty chairs were seen lined up as frontline workers chit-chatted among themselves. A dingy corner near the parking area of the Pahariwala Gurdwara served as the vaccination site for the young beneficiaries. Asked about the response of the inoculation exercise on day one, vaccination officer Pradeep Kumar said that not a single dose has been administered so far.
"No children in the 12-14 year age group have arrived yet at the centre. We opened the centre at around 9 am. A few childre had come but they belonged to a different age group," said Kumar.
Kumar blamed the lack of awareness among people behind the the poor turnout. "Parents are not aware of this vaccination drive. Moreover, I feel it is a school day that its why no one has arrived," he said, adding "we are expecting students to come for vaccination on the weekend.".
Day one of the Covid vaccination drive for children aged 12-14 years saw a tepid response at several centres where no or a few beneficiaries arrived for the inoculation. (PTI)
Delhi High Court has removed the restriction regarding the number of people who can offer prayers at the Masjid Bangley Wali on Shab-e-Barat. The police in its order passed earlier had said that only less than 100 people will be permitted on each floor.
"It's agreed that the management will ensure that while allowing the devotees on a particular floor, the COVID protocols and social distancing norms would be maintained," said Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri in the order. (ENS)
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday deferred passing an interim order on petitions against the minimum age criteria of six years for admission to class 1 in Kendriya Vidyalayas in the upcoming academic year after it was informed that the last date for online registrations would be extended by three weeks.
Justice Rekha Palli took on record the stand of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) that the last date of March 21 for applying would be extended till April 11.
"We are prepared to extend the last date by three weeks", said lawyer S. Rajappa, appearing for KVS.
In view of the extension, the court granted 10 days to the Central government and KVS to file their counter affidavit and listed the matter for further consideration on April 5.
Justice Palli observed that "prima facie there was something" in the petitions and that the authorities can't bring a change at "the last minute". (PTI)
Vinay Kumar Singh, MD, NCRTC unveiled the modern and commuter-centric country's first regional rapid at Duhai RRTS depot, Ghaziabad. The semi-high-speed aerodynamic trains are currently manufactured in Savli plant, Gujarat. The delivery of trains will start from May and train trials run will begin on the priority section from Saibabad to Duhai in May. The full speed trial run will be visible in December, said the Singh.
The RRTS trains will have wide standing space, luggage racks, CCTV cameras, charging sockets near every seat, route maps, heating ventilation and air conditioning system.
A total of 210 cars will be delivered for the first RRTS corridor. In the beginning, the NCRTC will run six coach trains, of which one will be reserved for woman passengers and one will be a premium coach for business class like in flights.
The business class coach will be there in every train and the facilities will be different from the general coach. It will have recliner seats, wider seats with more leg rooms, coat hangers, vending machines etc.
These trains will run at speed of 180 kmph. The travel time between Delhi to Meerut will reduce from 4 hours to 55 minutes.
Nearly two years after Markaz Nizamuddin was locked and public entry was prohibited in connection with an alleged case of violation of Covid-19 norms, the Delhi Police have permitted the management to hold prayers on four floors of at Masjid Bangley Wali on Shab-e-Barat.
However, only less than 100 people will be allowed on each storey, in accordance with the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDA) guidelines. (With Sofi Ahsan)
The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) is using different means to deter people from using single-use plastic like slapping fines on violators, holding awareness campaigns and constructing ecobrick walls using plastic bottles.
The wall in Saket to encourage people to not use single-use plastic has been constructed with stray bottles. Through this wall, SDMC has given a message not to use single-use plastic, said deputy commissioner of the south zone Ankita Chakravarty.
The minimum temperature on Wednesday was recorded at 20.5 degrees Celsius, five notches above the normal. This is also the highest minimum temperature so far this month, an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The maximum temperature of the day will hover around 35 degrees Celsius, the MeT department said.
It was a warm sunny morning in the national capital on Wednesday as the city recorded the month's highest minimum temperature so far at 20.5 degrees Celsius, five notches above the season's average. The weather office predicted strong winds during the day and said that days ahead will be warmer.
Delhi administered just over 29,000 Covid-19 vaccines Tuesday, of which more than 16,800 shots were in people between the ages of 18 and 44 years that has been the group receiving the maximum number of vaccines, data shows. It was overtaken by the 15 to 18 year age group in January and early February when the vaccination drive was opened for them.
There were nearly 1 million eligible children in the age group, all of whom have received their first shot while the uptake of the second shot has been slower. The vaccination drive has been thrown open for children between the ages of 12 to 14 years on Wednesday, which may bring up the numbers again.
Lieutenant Governor (LG) Anil Baijal reviewed the status of “Use of Technology in Policing” and advised the Delhi Police to put in place an institutional mechanism to ensure constant upgradation of technology and capacity building of human resources to avoid obsolescence.
Baijal reviewed the status of projects, use of technology in the Delhi Police to tackle crime and solve public matters on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by Delhi Police chief Rakesh Asthana, additional chief secretary (ACS) (home) and other senior officers.
A court in Delhi summoned the former husband and father-in-law of Priyanka alias Honeypreet Insan, the adopted daughter of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, in connection with a defamation case.
Metropolitan Magistrate Vivek Beniwal summoned the former husband, Vishwas Gupta, and his father, Mahendra Pal Gupta, on March 14 stating that in his estimation a prima facie case of defamation is made out against them. The court will hear the matter on July 12, 2022.
Honeypreet stated on oath before the court that the accused gave a defamatory interview on a news channel, Karnal Breaking News, on June 10, 2021, where both of them “made categorical allegations” that she had approached public officials and purchased them and for this purpose, she entered into a criminal conspiracy.
Congress's G-23 leaders will meet at Kapil Sibal's residence on Wednesday to discuss the situation obtaining in the party in the aftermath of its embarrassing loss in the assembly elections in five states and the CWC's endorsement of Sonia Gandhi's continuance as president. Sources close to the Group of 23 leaders said they have also invited Congressmen who don't constitute the bloc but feel changes are required, including at the leadership level, to revive its electoral fortunes. (With PTI)
The Delhi Police recovered the mobile phone of former BJP MP Vijay Goel and arrested a 22-year-old man who had snatched it from him, and another person whom it was sold to, officials said on Tuesday.
Sajan, a resident of Daryaganj, had allegedly snatched Goel's phone Monday evening when he was going from Daryaganj towards the Red Fort through the Upper Subhash Marg, police had said. Sajan, who had allegedly snatched Goel's phone from him near the Red Fort in north Delhi, was arrested from Daryaganj area, they said.
Delhi Metro services will not be available in the first half of the day on March 18 in view of the Holi festival, officials said on Tuesday.
At present, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is handling operations and maintenance of over 390 km of network, comprising 286 metro stations, including the Rapid Metro in Gurugram and Aqua Line in Greater Noida, and is ranked amongst one of the world's largest metro networks, the statement said.
The Delhi government is all geared up for the Covid vaccination of children in 12-14 years bracket starting Wednesday, with training imparted to staff from all stakeholder departments and vaccine doses received, as authorities have identified 6-7 lakh eligible population for this age group.
The city government has received 6,31,400 doses of Corbevax vaccine till date, official sources said on Tuesday. About 6-7 lakh children in the 12-14 age group in Delhi are eligible for vaccination to begin with, and the number will keep on increasing as days pass, they said.