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Air quality in Delhi-NCR at severe level, govt reimposes ban on construction
With temperatures falling down, the air quality in Delhi-NCR has reached the severe category, forcing the government to reimpose the Stage-III of GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan) and ban construction works in entire NCR except for Railways, Delhi Metro and some other departments.
The air quality index (AQI) at various hotspots in Delhi-NCR reached severe category, including in Mathura Road (440), Patparganj (448), Nehru Nagar (462), Sahibabad (452) and Noida Sector-62 (426).
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has ordered to reinforce strict ban on construction and demolition activities in the entire NCR and a nine-point action plan as per Stage-III of GRAP became applicable with immediate effect from Friday.
This is in addition to the preventive and restrictive actions under Stage-I and Stage-II of GRAP, which are already in place.
Delhi’s overall AQI spiked to 438 on Friday, as per the AQI bulletin provided by the CPCB.
The nine-point action plan includes steps to be implemented and ensured by different agencies and the pollution control boards of NCR, including the Delhi Pollution Control Committee.
This includes intensified frequency of mechanised and vacuum-based sweeping of roads, daily water sprinkling along with use of dust suppressants before peak traffic hours.
The agencies must check the hotspots on roads and right ways, including the heavy traffic corridors.
Before releasing the order, a meeting was held with the sub-committee which comprehensively reviewed the air quality scenario in the NCR as well as the forecasts for meteorological conditions and AQI of Delhi.
While assessing the overall air quality parameters, the sub-committee noted that the air quality had suddenly and unexpectedly deteriorated owing to dense foggy conditions without much sunlight and very low temperatures, coupled with calm winds and stable atmospheric conditions.
Panic grips Joshimath as cracks emerge in houses, CM orders evacuation
Panic heightened among the residents of Uttarakhand’s Joshimath as cracks developed in hundreds of houses and other structures due to the soil shifting in the holy town.
Many houses have reached the verge of collapse while a temple here collapsed on Friday. The only good thing is that there was no loss of life in the temple collapse. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a high-level meeting at the Secretariat on Friday to set up a rehabilitation centre where the people of Joshimath can be shifted immediately.
Terrified and scared, many people have left their homes. At the same time, people are being shifted to municipal buildings, gurudwaras and schools by the administration.
Big cracks have appeared in many houses of Joshimath’s Sunil Ward, Manohar Bagh Ward, and Gandhi Ward. Along with this, the residential colony of Jaypee Group located in Marwari has also come under threat. Water is seeping from the wall of some structures in Jaypee premises.
If it rains even a little, water filling the big cracks in the ground can cause havoc.
Chief Minister Dhami held a high-level meeting at the Secretariat on Friday to review the current situation in Joshimath. The meeting was attended by Secretary, Disaster Management; Commissioner Garhwal Mandal; and District Magistrate.
In the meeting, Dhami directed the officials to set up a large temporary rehabilitation centre at a safe place with immediate effect where the people of Joshimath can be shifted. He also asked the officials to find a safe place for permanent rehabilitation at other places including Pipalkoti and Gauchar.
Apart from this, the Chief Minister also gave instructions to prepare sector and zonal wise plans in Joshimath. He further directed the officials to vacate the danger zone immediately, so that no untoward incident could happen.
SDRF IG Riddhim Agarwal said that the SDRF has also been deployed in the town. About 50 SDRF personnel are deployed in Joshimath as the first team. Along with this, the surrounding four posts of SDRF have been asked to remain on alert. Within an hour, all the jawans will get involved in relief and rescue work.
The Chamoli district administration has stopped NTPC’s project, Helang Marwari Bypass and all other construction work going on in Joshimath till further orders. Whereas, Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Sushil Kumar, Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha and a team of expert scientists are surveying the rift-affected areas.
The Chief Minister will visit Joshimath on Saturday to take stock of the situation. At the same time, former Chief Minister Harish Rawat will also be visiting the town.
Cops in Delhi’s Rohini asked to share live location during night duties
In wake of the Kanjhawala incident in the national capital, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rohini district, Guriqbal Singh Sidhu has asked all the Inspector level personnel in the district to share their live locations with him while on night duty, and not to leave police stations without his permission.
IANS accessed the message passed by the DCP to his juniors in which the official stressed on three important points – patrolling, location sharing and presence at police station.
The message reads: “All the Station House Officers (SHOs), Additional and Inspector Bravo (Inspector Investigation) of all the police stations will conduct patrolling duty in the area and will share their live locations.
“No police officials (SHO, ATO, Bravo) will leave the police station without the DCP’s permission. All the night duty SO will update their positions. Apart from from 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. the SHO, Bravo, ATO will continue update their locations,” reads the message.
A few police personnel are calling the DCPs instructions a ‘Tughlaqi Farman’, arguing that “such directions make it difficult (for them) to discharge their duties”
Nidhi earlier arrested in drug smuggling case
Nidhi, the prime witness in the death case the 20-year-old Anjali who met a painful end after being dragged by a car in Delhi’s Kanjhawala area for about 12 km in the early hours of January 1, was earlier arrested in a drug smuggling case, police sources said.
According to the sources, she was intercepted at the Agra railway station for bringing drugs from Telangana, following which Nidhi was placed under arrest.
Earlier, it was said that she had no previous police record.
On Friday, Nidhi was called by the police to join the ongoing investigation again as there were contradictions in her previous version of the incident.
The police have added a few more IPC sections to make it a stronger case.
Anjali was riding the scooty when she met with the accident on January 1.
It is said that she got entangled in the Baleno car and was dragged for 12 km which led to her death.
Her naked body was found in the Kanjhawala area.
All seven occupants of the car have been arrested and are on police remand.
Delhi shivers at 2 degrees, fog delays flights at IGI airport
Residents of Delhi woke up to cold morning on Saturday with the minimum temperature plunging to 2 degrees Celsius, while dense fog delayed flights at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.
The weather stations at Safdarjung, Lodhi Road and Ridge recorded the minimum temperatures at 2.2 degrees Celsius, 2 degrees and 1.5 degrees, respectively.
These are the lowest temperatures in these respective areas this season.
However, the Ayanagar weather station recorded a minimum temperature of 3.5 degrees Celsius on Saturday morning.
“The coldest morning of the season for Delhi as minimum dropped to 2.2 degrees. Coldest since January 29, 2014 when minimum was 2 degrees. May increase from tomorrow (Sunday),” tweeted Mahesh Palawat, the vice president of Skymet.
Some 34 domestic flights were delayed due to fog and other weather related issues.
“Dense fog over Palam Airport. Visibility at 09:30 hours is 50 mete r. Runway 28 is 450 meter and runway 28 is 500 meter. Flight delay and flight cancellation is possible. Confirm flight status before leaving,” Palawat said in another tweet.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that cold day to severe cold day conditions prevailed in many parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, West Madhya Pradesh; in some areas of East Rajasthan; isolated pockets of West Rajasthan, Bihar and cold Day conditions in isolated pockets over Uttarakhand.
“Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions prevailed in many parts of east Madhya Pradesh; in some areas of East Rajasthan; isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, West Rajasthan and Cold Wave conditions in many parts of West Madhya Pradesh; isolated pockets over Punjab, West Uttar Pradesh,” the IMD said.
The Department predicted that the due to continuation of prevailing light winds and high moisture near surface over the Indo-Gangetic plains, dense to very dense fog very likely to continue in some/many parts during night & morning hours over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh during next 24 hours and over Uttar Pradesh during next 48 hours; in isolated pockets thereafter for subsequent 3-4 days over the region.
Four killed in two road accidents in Telugu states
Four persons were killed in two road accidents in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Saturday.
A truck rammed into a bullock-cart near Agali town in Sri Sathya Sai district.
Two persons sitting on the bullock cart were killed on the spot while two men on the truck were injured. Police rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to a hospital at Madakasira.
Police suspect that the truck driver did not notice the bullock cart due to dense fog in the area. Visibility was poor on the road due to the fog.
The bodies were shifted to the hospital mortuary for autopsy. A case has been registered and probe is on.
Two persons including a woman were killed in a road accident in Telangana’s Rangareddy district.
According to police, a motorbike rammed into a pole near Pasumamula. Both the persons riding the bike were killed. The deceased were identified as Anusha and Harikrishna.
Two racehorses killed in honeybee attack in K’taka
Two popular breed racehorses were killed after honeybee attacked them in Kunigal town of Tumakuru district in Karnataka.
One of the race horses was 10 year-old while another was 15-year-old. They were imported from Ireland and America, and they had won many titles.
The incident took place on Thursday when the horses were left to graze in the premises of the farm.
The horses could not take shelter when the honeybees started attacking suddenly. They collapsed on the ground and started wailing. Immediately, a team of expert veterinary doctors arrived at the farm and administered treatment.
One of the horses died on Thursday night and another on Friday morning. The horses were presently used for breeding. The United Racing and Bloodstock Breeders (URBB), a subsidiary of UB group, housed in the Kunigal Stud Farm, had bought the horses six years ago by paying Rs 1 crore each, according to sources.
Sources also explain that it is the first incident since the establishment of the Stud Farm. The farm was established by Tipu Sultan 260 years ago. The management of the farm maintained that the tragic death of two breeding horses has caused heavy losses for the URBB.
The American race horse had participated in the Virginia Derby and many other international events while the horse from Ireland won three times in Five Star Derby.
Two women killed as car hits auto in Bengaluru
Two women were killed and three others injured after an auto they were travelling in was hit by a speeding car in K. R. Puram locality of Bengaluru.
Driver of the car fled the scene after the incident that occurred late Friday night.
The deceased have been identified as Fazila and Taseena.
Two kids and Khaleed, Taseena’s husband, suffered injuries in the incident.
The injured have been admitted to the hospital.
K.R. Puram Traffic police have registered a case and launched a manhunt for the driver.
4 lakh cigarettes seized at Mumbai airport
The Customs Officials at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport seized 4 lakh cigarettes worth Rs 30 lakh which were being supplied illegally.
According to the information, the seizure was made by Mumbai Customs Department on January 5.
“Total 2,000 undeclared cigarette cartons were found mixed in export shipments destined for London. We have seized it,” said an official.
“Acting on intelligence that cigarettes were being attempted to be smuggled by way of mis-declaration and concealment in export shipments, we identified and tracked it,” the official said.
The official said that they seized 4 lakh cigarettes packed in 2,000 cartoons under section 110 of the Customs Act.
“It is an offence punishable under various sections of Customs Act. Further investigation in the matter is under progress to trace the carrier of the said narcotic substance,” said the official.
Retired forensic official found dead in Vijayawada hotel
Police in Vijayawada have launched an investigation into the death of former joint director of Andhra Pradesh Forensic Sciences Laboratory (APFSL) Ekkaraju Shiva Kumar.
The retired official, who is presently working in a private laboratory, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in a city hotel late on Friday.
Shiva Kumar (74), a resident of Kukatpally in Hyderabad, had come to Vijayawada in connection with a court case.
The hotel staff alerted police after Shiva Kumar did not respond to phone calls and door bells. The police broke open the door and found him lying on the floor.
Police shifted the body for autopsy and informed his family members. The cause of death was not known immediately.
A police officer said they have registered a case of death under suspicious circumstances and took up investigation. The investigators collected clues from the hotel room.
Shiva Kumar had checked into the hotel on Thursday. He was in the city to submit evidence in the court in connection with a case.
2nd suspected food poisoning death in Kerala in 6 days
Six days after a young nurse died due to suspected food poisoning in Kerala, a 19-year-old girl passed away on Saturday after battling for her life at a hospital.
Anju Sree Parvathy along with her friends had ordered a special variety of biryani online to celebrate New Year’s in Kasargod, the state’s northern-most district which borders Mangaluru in Karnataka.
After having the biryani, she and her friends felt uneasy and were taken to a nearby hospital.
Anju was later hospitalised in Mangalure where she died on Saturday morning.
Local legislator C.H. Kunhambhu said while Parvathy was hospitalised, her other friends had recovered.
The nurse working in the Kottayam Medical College died last week after she had food from a hotel which had its license cancelled last month following complaints.
The establishment was allowed to open after paying a fine of Rs 20,000.
After the nurse’s death, state Health Minister Veena George had spoken sternly of action against wrongdoers and on Saturday she said that strict action will be taken.
An issue which has come into focus now is that the state has only 140 field staff for monitoring six lakh establishments.
V.R. Vinod, Food Safety Commissioner, has revealed that till date no erring person has been convicted in Kerala after a death had been reported due to food poisoning.
“According to the rules, anyone found to be in violation following a death being reported due to food poisoning is seven years imprisonment. But no one in the state has been convicted for it. At present, there are around 1,800 cases in the courts for various offences related due to food adulteration. There is a delay in the trial due to lack of a special court,” the Commissioner added.
Delhi’s overall air quality ‘very poor’ at 374, to dip further in coming days
Delhi’s overall air quality was recorded in “very poor” category at an AQI of 374 on Saturday.
However, on Mathura Road in Delhi, the air quality was severe aat an AQI of 513, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).
The AQI at Pusa was recorded at 365, Lodhi Road 364, Dhirpur 385 and Ayanagar 357, all “very poor category”.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”; 51 and 100 “satisfactory”; 101 and 200 “moderate”; 201 and 300 “poor”; 301 and 400 “very poor”; and 401 and 500 “severe”.
Experts said that the AQI may dip to a severe category in coming days.
According to a forecast from the SAFAR, the air quality of the city will deteriorate further to the “very poor” category reaching 382 on Sunday.
Meanwhile, with the deteriorating AQI of the city, the city government has again imposed Stage-III of GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan) and banned construction works in the entire NCR except for Railways, Delhi Metro and some other departments.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has ordered to reinforce strict ban on construction and demolition activities in the entire NCR and a nine-point action plan as per Stage-III of GRAP became applicable with immediate effect from Friday.
This is in addition to the preventive and restrictive actions under Stage-I and Stage-II of GRAP, which are already in place.
Delhi’s overall AQI spiked to 438 on Friday, as per the AQI bulletin provided by the CPCB.
The nine-point action plan includes steps to be implemented and ensured by different agencies and the pollution control boards of NCR, including the Delhi Pollution Control Committee.
This includes intensified frequency of mechanised and vacuum-based sweeping of roads, daily water sprinkling along with use of dust suppressants before peak traffic hours.
The agencies must check the hotspots on roads and right ways, including the heavy traffic corridors.
Man set ablaze by ex-partner in Gujarat
A man received 70 per cent burn injuries after he was set ablaze by his former live-in partner in Gujarat’s Morbi, police said.
On Friday evening, he was rushed to the Wankaner hospital, from where he was referred to the Rajkot government hospital.
Vanrajsinh Babaria, investigation officer of the Wankaner police station, told IANS that around 4.30 p.m. on Friday the was police informed about the incident.
When the officer recorded the victim’s statement, the latter identified himself as Ramesh Ramani and said his live-in partner Gita from Godhra had set him ablaze.
In his statement, Ramesh said that a few months ago he had come in contact with Gita, and both started living together.
Some days back, she stole gold ornaments and fled and on Friday afternoon, Gita called him to an isolated place to resolve the issue between the two, he said.
She then poured petrol on him and tried to kill him, the victim claimed.
The officer said that Ramesh did not have any additional details of the woman, including her address.