Seventeen metro stations in central Delhi have been closed for the third consecutive day due to security concerns stemming from an ongoing protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) near Jantar Mantar. The closures have significantly inconvenienced daily commuters, including office-goers and students, prompting the Supreme Court Bar Association to file a plea regarding access to the court.
'We looked up and there was a man dressed as Mahatma Gandhi walking with the protesters under Minto Bridge. Everyone burst into laughter. Almost instinctively, we shouted, 'Bapu ki jai ho!' It's one of those moments I'll never forget.'
Recent protests by CJP supporters attempting to march towards Parliament in Delhi highlight a recurring pattern of public demonstrations in the capital over the past 15 years. The article details several significant protests, including the 2021 farmers' tractor rally, the 2011 Anna Hazare movement, the 2012 Nirbhaya protests, anti-CAA demonstrations, and the 2023 wrestlers' protest, all of which involved attempts to reach central Delhi's high-security zones to press demands.
'They were hitting students. They are not just students, they are the youth, they are the future. You cannot destroy our future.' LGBTQIA+ activist and makeup artiste Jaanmoni Das, who participated in the youth protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, recounts her experience on The Rediff Podcast.
Two days after a 36-day student agitation concluded at Jantar Mantar, the iconic protest site in New Delhi is already witnessing new demonstrations, including calls for Gorkhaland and women's reservation, alongside curious visitors documenting the aftermath.
Voters who exercise their franchise in favour of a particular political dispensation do not do so unconditionally. Their loyalty is subject to maintaining trust and living up to their expectations. It is subject to allowing the freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution, points out Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (retd).
Metro rail services were closed on March 22 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trains are to operate in batches of four-hour each from 7-11 am and 4-8 pm in the first stage.
Metro...In Dino's assembly of actors exhaust all their charm at the end of this messy musing on metropolitan monotony, observes SUkanya Verma.
With the Centre issuing guidelines for their resumption under Unlock 4, the rapid transit networks started operations in a graded manner in Delhi-NCR, Lucknow, Kochi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, but were still closed in Mumbai, Nagpur, Kolkata and Jaipur.
Police fired tear gas shells as members of the two groups pelted stones at each other in Maujpur. For security reasons, the entry and exit gates of the Maujpur-Babarpur metro station were closed. Gates of the Jaffrabad station were also closed earlier in the day.
The Yamuna surged to a record 208.48 metres at 8 am, the Central Water Commission said on Thursday, adding that it is likely to rise to 208.75 metres by 4 pm.
Uber recorded approximately 200 per cent year-on-year growth in its pre-scheduled ride option, Uber Reserve.
The Delhi government has banned construction and demolition activities in the city till November 21.
Major roads in and around Delhi including on the DND flyover and Ghazipur border were affected from the morning rush hours till around 2 pm.
Delhi has been witnessing sit-in protests at Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Millia Islamia against the new citizenship law for over 90 days.
With the COVID-19 positivity rate touching 0.55 percent, the Delhi government has decided to re-impose night curfew from Monday, according to sources.
The 'yellow' alert restrictions stipulate that shops and establishments of non-essential goods and services and malls will open based on odd-even formula from 10 am to 8 pm.
The Delhi government has allowed reopening of bars, public parks and gardens from Monday under a phased easing of restrictions, which were imposed due to the second Covid wave.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said Covid cases are mild and there is no increase in the consumption of oxygen or the use of ventilators despite the rise in numbers.
Around 6,000 security personnel will be deployed and a total of 24 help desks will be set up in the New Delhi district for those who attend Republic Day celebrations, the police said.
No improvement in the air quality in Delhi-NCR is expected for another three days, authorities said on Monday, as the Supreme Court directed the Centre to call an emergency meeting to decide on measures like stopping non-essential constructions, transport and power plants by Tuesday evening.
Police personnel checked vehicles and conducted flag marches at various places in Punjab on Wednesday while central forces maintained a tight vigil in Tripura.
The national capital woke up on Tuesday morning to 'severe' air quality under a blanket of thick haze, as pollution levels breached the permissible standards by multiple times.
He said stringent curbs have been put in place as part of the Graded Response Action Plan for COVID-19 to check the spread of the infection and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) will decide on implementing more restrictions.
With CPCB saying that the air quality is not severe now, the SC partially lifted its ban.
In view of an 'improvement' in the air quality, the Delhi government has decided to resume physical classes in schools, colleges and other educational institutions and reopen government offices from November 29, environment minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday.
Patients and pregnant women, people out to buy essential items, and those travelling to or from railway stations, bus stops and airports will be exempted from the night curfew that kicks in at 11 pm on Monday due to rising COVID-19 cases in Delhi, according to a DDMA order.
Measures under the GRAP's 'very poor' and 'severe' categories came into effect on Tuesday.
The order, listing various allowed and restricted activities because of the Covid pandemic, will come into effect from November 1.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of chief secretaries of all states and the cabinet secretary and the principal secretary to the prime minister. The districts where lockdown was announced include 10 districts each in Maharashtra and Kerala, six districts each in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, five each in Karnataka and Haryana, three each in Tamil Nadu and Punjab.
The air quality in Delhi is turning worse, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.
The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi stood at 398 at 11 am, worsening from 357 at 4 pm on Friday. It was 354 on Thursday, 271 on Wednesday, 302 on Tuesday and 312 on Monday (Diwali).
The minimum temperature in the capital dropped to 9.6 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal and the lowest this season so far. The maximum is likely to settle around 27 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department said.
Other Graded Response Action Plan measures like ban on diesel generators, hot mix plants, stone crushers and brick kilns, however, continue to remain in place.
Stating that 'we cannot...infuse creativity in your bureaucracy', the apex court warned it will have to do something extraordinary if the authorities failed to control pollution.
Delhi recorded an air quality index of 315 at 11:10 am. The last time the air quality hit such a poor level was in February.
The suggestions submitted to the Centre on Thursday evening also recommended restarting construction activities and allowing movement of labourers within the city, sources said.
Auditoriums, malls, gyms and spas will be shut down and cinema theatres will be allowed with a third of the capacity on weekdays. Eating out will be banned and only home deliveries will be allowed. Weekly markets will be allowed but with restrictions.
Here's what the national capital needs to do to ensure the residents stop breathing toxic fumes.
