Five people died in rain-related incidents in Delhi Friday as Monsoon arrived with a fury early in the morning, lashing the city with its highest rainfall in a single day of June in 88 years which brought it to a standstill with streets flooded, traffic in chaos and some commuters stranded on roads.
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.
The Delhi government had been forced to impose lockdown amid a steep rise in COVID-19 cases on April 20. Although, the cases have come down and positivity rate has reduced from the high of 35 per cent on April 26 to around 23 per cent now, but strictness is needed.
Electric cab-hailing platform BluSmart remained non-operational on Thursday across Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, and Mumbai, as the market regulator cracked down on its co-founder over alleged misuse of funds at an affiliated company. BluSmart app, that offered more than 8,000 taxis in the three metros, stopped taking bookings on Wednesday evening and remained unoperational on Thursday as well.
"Seven lines of the Delhi Metro network are now open! Thank you dear commuters for following the safety guidelines and helping us maintain good service. #MetroBackOnTrack," the DMRC tweeted after the three new lines resumed services.
The national capital is on high alert for Republic Day, with over 70 companies of paramilitary forces and more than 70,000 police personnel deployed across the city. A six-layered security protocol involving 15,000 security personnel has been deployed in New Delhi district alone. Security measures include over 2,500 CCTV cameras with facial recognition, anti-drone systems, and snipers on rooftops. Traffic restrictions have been imposed in central Delhi, with no traffic movement allowed on Kartavya Path from Vijay Chowk to India Gate from 6 pm on Saturday. Flying of sub-conventional aerial platforms is prohibited over Delhi until February 1.
Police said some "unsubstantiated reports" of tension in southeast and west districts were circulated on social media.
New Delhi has turned into a virtual fortress ahead of the Independence Day celebrations as thousands of armed security personnel kept a hawk-eyed vigil to pre-empt any possible terror strike in the city.
The sales of company shares by 5 senior executives have come under scrutiny as IndusInd shares declined over 30 per cent due to losses incurred by from its derivatives exposure.
The Jamia Millia Islamia on Saturday declared vacation till January 5 and cancelled all exams in view of the tense situation in the university due to students' protest against the amended citizenship act.
The video shows a man, now dubbed as 'serial dog killer' dressed in shorts and a jacket luring the dogs with food and then stabbing them repeatedly with a knife at the Metro station.
Sources that Sahil fled Delhi after the murder and switched off his phone. He reached Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh after changing two buses.
One of the worst-hit areas was Bhajanpura where a petrol pump and two school buses were torched on a road near Yamuna Vihar border by mobs during the conflagration.
Heavy rains that lashed the national capital on Wednesday morning led to waterlogging and traffic snarls in many parts of the city, including the Minto Road railway underpass, while several low-lying areas were submerged.
Some of the stretches and areas where waterlogging was seen included Dhaula Kuan, Mathura Road, Moti Bagh, Vikas Marg, Ring Road, Rohtak Road, Sangam Vihar, Kirari and near Pragati Maidan among others.
Around 1,200 protesters demanding scrapping of the amended citizenship act were detained on Thursday when they defied prohibitory orders imposed by the Delhi Police in Red Fort area. Internet, voice and messaging services by Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and Reliance Jio were suspended in parts of Delhi-NCR, in perhaps for the first time that the national capital experienced such restrictions.
Police used batons and teargas shells to disperse the violent mob, but denied firing at them.
Out of over 70,000 personnel, 14,000 will be deployed at and around Kartavya Path for the security of the Republic Day parade, they said.
There were videos where people could be seen using ropes to escape the building from where thick black smoke was coming out.
Police said they will not allow the farmers protesting against the Centre's new farm laws to enter Delhi if they reach the borders of the national capital.
A multi-tier security cover has been put in place in the national capital with thousands of security personnel guarding vital installations and specialised units like NSG deployed ahead of Independence Day to pre-empt any terror strike.
Businesses have resumed but it's not business as usual in the capital city of Bangladesh.
The Health and Family Welfare department had issued a detailed order on Sunday, notifying the lockdown in the whole of Delhi, stipulating various restrictions.
With CPCB saying that the air quality is not severe now, the SC partially lifted its ban.
The wrestlers protesting at the Jantar Mantar, about two kilometres from Parliament, said that they will go ahead with their 'Mahila Mahapanchayat' near the new building at any cost.
Protesters at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi said the police can baton charge them as much as they want, but their message is "love in return for hatred".
Security was on Monday stepped up in and around Connaught Place and six other venues, ahead of the Yoga Day celebrations to be organised by the ministry of AYUSH on Tuesday.
The India Meteorological Department on Friday predicted that Delhi will likely receive light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms for the next 4-5 days.
The Delhi government has banned construction and demolition activities in the city till November 21.
A formal announcement of the name of the winner is expected to be made in a day or two, sources close to the development said. Other bidders in the race are believed to be infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro and a consortium led by GE.
A spectacular aerial display showcasing the prowess and manoeuvrability of the Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft over the iconic Marina sky captivated the hearts of Chennaiites who turned up in thousands on a sultry Sunday and witnessed the IAF's range of new aircraft including Rafale, roar in action.
Showing no signs of relenting, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday ruled out negotiations to end the stand off with the Centre and threatened to flood Rajpath with lakhs of supporters that can disrupt Republic Day celebrations.
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.
Prohibition of all types of gatherings, reduced size of weddings and funerals, running of public transport at half seating capacity and scaled down presence in government offices were some of the restrictions imposed by the Delhi government on Saturday amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.
The students have been protesting against hostel fee hike. They had sought appointment with the Prez.
Opposition parties on Thursday alleged that an "undeclared Emergency" has been imposed in the country in the light of restrictions and detention of thousands for defying prohibitory orders to deal with the mounting protests against the new citizenship law in multiple cities. Rejecting the charge, the Centre and the Bharatiya Janata Party said no government can tolerate violence and alleged that the opposition parties were fuelling the protests for vote bank politics.
Three persons have been arrested for the daring broad day light heist in which around Rs 8 crore had been looted in Lajpat Nagar area on New Delhi on Tuesday.
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.
With communal clashes claiming six lives in parts of Haryana close to Delhi, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered enhanced deployment of security personnel in sensitive areas and a crackdown on hate speech, but refused to stop the proposed rallies by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal in the National Capital Region.
Top architecture firms belonging to Hafeez Contractor and C P Kukreja have offered to design a few stations free of cost.
