Heavy rainfall marked the onset of the southwest monsoon in Delhi on Thursday. The maximum temperature plummeted to 29.4 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, seven degrees below normal for this time of the year, and 11.5 degrees below the maximum temperature recorded on Wednesday. This is the lowest maximum temperature recorded in June in at least 11 years.
The Safdarjung weather observatory, which serves as a marker for the city, recorded 116.6 mm of rainfall between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm, the highest in the city. Much of this rainfall was recorded before 2.30 pm, with the intensity reducing in the afternoon and evening. The weather observatory on Lodhi Road recorded around 107.6 mm till 5.30 pm, while the one at Ridge in North Delhi recorded 65.2 mm. The weather station at Palam recorded 31.8 mm, the lowest amount in the city on Thursday.
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Till June 30, the city had a deficit of around 67% in rainfall for the month. However, the rainfall on Thursday is likely to have covered that deficit.
People wade through a waterlogged street in Tughlakabad on Thursday morning. The rain left several arterial roads waterlogged and led to traffic snarls. Photos: Abhinav Saha
The monsoon has hit the city after a scorching summer that was Northwest India’s hottest in 122 years in March and April. Both months recorded massive deficits in rainfall – March saw no rainfall at all, while there was a deficit of 98% in April in Delhi.
Cloudy skies and moderate rainfall or thundershowers are on the forecast for Delhi on Friday. The IMD issued an ‘orange’ alert for the city on Friday, which is a warning to be prepared. The impact expected includes traffic disruption and water accumulation. The alert has been lowered to a ‘yellow’ on Saturday and Sunday when light rainfall is likely. A ‘yellow’ alert means ‘be aware’.
Light rainfall remains on the forecast till July 6, and the maximum temperature is also likely to remain below 40 degrees till July 6. On Friday, the maximum temperature is likely to be around 32 degrees Celsius.
The southwest monsoon also covered all of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. It advanced into parts of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan as well.
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Two bulldozers were engaged in demolishing a house spread on around two acres in South Delhi’s Kalyanpuri last week. Watching from a distance, Shyam Pihal, who lives in a jhuggi cluster adjoining the road, made a phone call to his friend: “MCD wale aaye hain, sab log idhar aa jao, kahi ye jhuggi na todne ka sochein (People from the MCD are here, all of you come, they might just think of breaking the jhuggis).”
While the drive was carried out by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on court orders, the much publicised anti-encroachment drives carried out across the city by civic bodies have sparked fear in people’s minds. The year-round activity has also turned into a flashpoint between the BJP, which has been ruling the MCD for three terms, and the opposition Aam Aadmi Party.
The first big drive
The erstwhile North Delhi Municipal Corporation carried out an anti-encroachment demolition drive in Jahangirpuri on April 20, days after the area witnessed communal violence following a Hanuman Jayanti procession. It was stopped mid-way by the Supreme Court.
While Opposition parties hit out at the BJP for bringing in “bulldozer politics” of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to Delhi, those in the party as well as a section of people hailed state unit chief Adesh Gupta for “teaching the rioters a lesson”.
Gupta had written to the North MCD Mayor demanding identification and demolition of “illegal encroachment” and construction by those arrested in the Jahangirpuri violence. He also ordered the three corporations to undertake more such drives to remove “illegal encroachments by Bangladeshis and Rohingya”.
While the AAP was not directly critical of the drive at that point, its MLA Atishi accused the BJP of helping settle Bangladeshis and Rohingya in different parts so that goondagardi (hooliganism) can be perpetrated. In the days since, a series of anti-encroachment exercises have been carried out across the capital, and the AAP has become more direct in its opposition to the drives.
Since Jahangirpuri
The MCD has carried out more than 25 drives, with an average of around one per day, in the past one month. These have been in areas such as Jahangirpuri, Dilshad Garden, Dallupura, Geeta Colony, Kanti Nagar, Mangolpuri, Najaf-garh, Hari Nagar, Chaukhandi, Vasant Kunj, Raghubar Nagar, Janakpuri and Dwarka. “These drives are conducted based on feedback and the nature of complaints. Most of them are to clear the right of way; there is no pick and choose,” said a deputy commissioner in the North MCD.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, meanwhile, has asked his party MLAs to hit the ground against these drives and show their support for people.
On May 9, South MCD officials tried to carry out an anti-encroachment drive in Shaheen Bagh but were stopped by residents and representatives of the Congress and AAP, who protested in front of the bulldozer. Three days later at Madanpur Khadar, the civic body barricaded the street and started tearing down the walls of four under construction buildings that were allegedly being constructed illegally.
Clashes broke out between locals and police and AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan was arrested. During DDA’s drive in Kalyanpuri, AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar was detained by police.
According to data from the Special Task Force constituted by the MoHUA in April 2018 to clear encroachments and unauthorised constructions in the capital, the corporations along with other government agencies have removed 4,132 encroachments till April 15. As many as 4,319 properties have been demolished while there is a pendency of 7,522 cases.
A deputy commissioner with the South MCD admitted that the drives have intensified in the past one month, but attributed it to several complaints that had piled up over the past two years due to the pandemic and inability of the civic body to act on the same.
Earlier, he said, councillors too used to resist such drives as it went against popular sentiments: “Now they themselves are taking the lead, making our work easier.”
Some discontent
Not all within the BJP are enthusiastic about this. Two MPs that The Indian Express spoke to said the drive had started to backfire and the party should not associate itself with it as it is carried out by bureaucrats on a routine basis.
“This is not the Uttar Pradesh model. Yogi ji carries out these drives on criminals; here it is being done locality wise. While the Jahangirpuri drive was to send a message to rioters, what are we gaining by associating with the drives in Dwarka, Matiala, New Friends Colony?” said an MP.
Another senior BJP leader said, “In the past, we have confronted the MCD during the sealing drives… our MP even broke the seal of a shop. Now, it feels like we are getting carried away by the media hype… Now that the special officer (of the unified MCD) has taken charge, he should undertake a course correction and stop such drives. Or the party should make it clear that it does not back them.”
Former Puducherry chief secretary Ashwani Kumar has been appointed as the Special Officer of the unified MCD, and took charge Sunday. A senior BJP leader, who is also office bearer in the state team, said, “We should have disassociated ourselves after Jahangirpuri… or Shaheen Bagh.”
The BJP has now started to slowly distance itself from the drives. Gupta said, “We back only those drives where the mafia has encroached common land. The rest are routine exercises by the MCD and the BJP has nothing to do with it.”
The AAP, meanwhile, blamed the BJP for targeting the common man. While Kejriwal said that the BJP and MCD had put the lives and livelihoods of 63 lakh people, who live in unauthorised areas, in danger, AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said at a recent press conference, “The BJP is targeting the poor and middle class… It has planned encroachment drives in Saket P block, Qutub Institutional Area, Chirag Delhi — do Rohingya live here? I stay in Chirag Delhi, where Jats and Brahmins live.”
For and against
It has largely been traders, jhuggi clusters and roadside vendors who are bearing the brunt of such drives. Lakshmi, who lives in a jhuggi in Trilokpuri, said she has been living in the area for the past 10 years along with her family of six. Though the MCD has not reached the locality, the fear remains. “Yaha todenge to hum kahan jayenge (where will we go if they break our home?). My husband drives an e-rickshaw and my son lost his job during the pandemic; he worked in an office in Noida… We do not earn enough that we can pay rent.”
About one-third of Delhi lives in substandard housing, which includes 695 slums and JJ clusters, 1,797 unauthorised colonies, and 362 villages. Among them, those living in slums and JJ clusters lack access to basic facilities like toilets and sewer connections.
Residents, meanwhile, said the corporation should focus on more pressing issues like sanitation. B S Vohra, who heads the East Delhi RWA Joint Front, said the corporation should widen roads rather than focusing on cosmetic actions: “Areas like Krishna Nagar see bad traffic snarls, causing pollution.”
At Shaheen Bagh, Shahazad Ali, who owns a furniture shop, said the garbage in the area is rarely cleared and the corporation should focus on this. Another resident of the area, Itteshan Azmi, said these encroachments would be back in a few days: “The bigger question is how these encroachments came up in the first place.”
Mayor Mukesh Suryan, however, said, “Ask people if they are relieved that encroachments have been cleared…” A deputy commissioner in the South MCD added, “Encroachment is done by poor people, but the rich will not be spared — if their houses are on government land, they too will be demolished.”
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A 19-year-old student was stabbed to death after he intervened in a fight in North Delhi’s Sarai Rohilla Tuesday. The accused and his mother have been arrested in connection with the murder.
The victim, Md Sameer, a resident of Inderlok, was a class XII student at a local school. As he saw his neighbours fighting, he stepped in to resolve it, and the accused stabbed him for trying to stop them, police said.
The accused have been identified as Arzu (22) and his mother Rihana (40).
According to police, Rihana and a woman named Parveen got into a heated argument, and their families joined the fight. At one point, Arzu allegedly attacked Parveen with a knife, police said.
Police said Sameer was walking with his friends when he witnessed the fight and intervened. Sameer scolded Arzu, who allegedly retaliated by stabbing him.
Sagar Singh Kalsi, DCP (North), said, “Both Parveen and Sameer were taken to a hospital where Sameer died during the treatment. A case under IPC sections of murder was registered and Arzu and Rihana have been arrested. Raids are being conducted to locate their family members and ascertain their role.”
During the investigation, police found that Parveen’s and Rihana’s husbands work as labourers near the house, and the fight broke out because Parveen’s husband did not call the latter for work.
Police said the victim worked as a helper at a nearby shop.
He lived with his parents and had known the accused for years.
“He was trying to stop a fight but Arzu hurled abuses at him. The victim pushed him and the two got into a fight. Arzu stabbed him with a knife,” said a local.
Farukh, the victim’s friend, said, “I was talking on the phone when I saw them fighting. I went to talk to Arzu, but he was hurling abuses and threatening us with a knife. Sameer was trying to stop him when he stabbed him twice. He then came to stab me, but I ran. I came back to save Sameer. He was lying on the floor. It wasn’t his fault.”
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The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the North Delhi Municipal Corporation and Archaeological Survey of India to ensure that no further illegal construction takes place around Jama Masjid and the Walled City area of Old Delhi.
The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla, while issuing notice on a PIL alleging the violations, said that the SHOs of police stations concerned shall ensure strict compliance of the order directing the authorities to stop further encroachment. The court will hear the case next on July 14.
The petition before the court alleged rampant illegal construction and encroachment around Jamia Masjid, Turkman Gate, Kashmere Gate. It was argued before the court that no construction or reconstruction is to be permitted around the ancient monuments in the areas but the authorities have failed to act against the violations.
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A former caretaker of a night shelter run by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has alleged she was raped, molested and threatened at the facility, located in North Delhi. The woman, who is in her 20s, has further alleged that a ‘mentally challenged’ resident at the shelter was also raped by one of the accused.
In a police complaint, she has alleged she was removed from her job on March 4 after she approached the director, a woman, regarding the two alleged incidents. The shelter is managed by an NGO and all four accused — the director, a man accused of raping the woman and two others accused of molesting and threatening her — work with it.
An FIR has been registered against the director and three officials based on the complaint and DUSIB is conducting an enquiry.
“I worked at (the NGO) and during that time… sir raped me on January 8. Before this, sir and (another accused) touched me inappropriately and molested me… during a New Year’s party at the shelter, (an accused) forced himself on me. That day, I managed to escape. The next day, I approached director ma’am about the incident. She threatened to file a false case against me and asked me to leave her office. I called ma’am the next day but she cut my call. When I met her at the shelter and requested her to help me get a medical (test) done, she threatened to kill me. The same day, sir and (another accused) came to the shelter home at 6 pm and threatened to kill me… I didn’t file a complaint because I was scared,” the FIR quotes the woman as alleging. She alleged that on January 23, one of the accused allegedly raped a 25-year-old mentally challenged resident at the shelter. “When I came for duty in the morning, she told me she was experiencing a lot of pain and was bleeding,” reads the FIR.
The woman told The Indian Express: “I showed her photos of all staffers and she pointed towards one… Later, in March, they removed me from the job without a reason.” Police officers said they are looking for a counsellor to take the second woman’s statement. “We will file a separate FIR once that is done.” said an officer.
The Delhi Commission for Women meanwhile sent a notice to DUSIB and Delhi Police over “serious lapses” at the shelter. “She has alleged that she and a mentally challenged resident of the shelter were raped. This is very serious and warrants urgent action,” reads the notice sent by DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal. DCP (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said, “We have lodged an FIR and investigations are on.” DUSIB member Bipin Rai said: “All four accused work with an NGO. We will remove the NGO and appoint someone else to manage the building. We have received the woman’s complaint.”
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Slated to be introduced in Parliament by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday, The Delhi Municipal Corporation Amendment Bill, which seeks to unify the three municipal corporations in the national capital, will give complete control of the civic body to the Centre, according to its key provisions.
Apart from replacing the word “Government” with “Central Government”, the provisions raise the prospect of a delimitation exercise, which could lead to a considerable delay in the conduct of civic body polls. And to run the corporation till then, they give the Centre the option of appointing an officer of its choice.
The Bill, which was passed by the Union Cabinet on Tuesday, states that in at least 11 sections of The Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, the words “Central Government” shall replace “Government”, wherever it occurs.
It also states: “Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, the Central Government may, if necessary, appoint a person to be called the Special Officer, to exercise the power and discharge the functions of the Corporation until the date on which the first meeting of the Corporation is held after the commencement of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022.”
According to Delhi officials, this means that until representatives of a unified MCD are elected, the Centre’s Special Officer can head the corporation.
Besides, the Bill proposes that the number of seats in the unified corporation will not be more than 250 — down from the existing 272 — and will be determined by the “Central Government at the time of the establishment of the Corporation”. This essentially means that a fresh delimitation exercise will have to be undertaken.
Currently, Section 3A of the The Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, which refers to the division of Delhi into zones, states: “The Central Government may, after consultation with the Government, from time to time, by notification in the Official Gazette, alter the names, increase or diminish the area or any zone…” With the removal of the word “Government” from this section, the Centre alone can make any such change, according to the Bill.
Explained
Steering in Centre hands
The new law gives the Centre complete control of the national capital’s civic bodies even before the election is held. The Centre’s Special Officer can take charge after the proposed law comes into force.
According to senior officials, the Bill will essentially eliminate the role of the state government in the civic bodies, which fall under the Union Home Ministry. “The Bill will mark a total exit of the state government from the MCD. While there is a very small role now, these amendments will take the Delhi government out of the picture entirely. Some clarity, however, is required on the funding pattern of the new MCD,” the official said.
At present, the Delhi government has to give a share of the taxes it collects to the corporations as planned expenditure.
The MCD was trifurcated by the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government in 2012. The Congress was in power at the Centre as well at the time. The split’s stated purpose was to decentralise power for better governance.
However, the division into South, East and North Delhi Municipal Corporations resulted in unequal distribution of sources and funds, leading to delayed salaries and lack of resources for infrastructure projects. Over the past seven years, the BJP-led corporations have accused the AAP-led Delhi government of “financially starving” them while AAP has accused the BJP of “corruption and misuse of funds”.
On Thursday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hit out at BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Assembly. Accusing the BJP of forcing the State Election Commissioner to defer the municipal polls, which were scheduled to be held in April, he said: “If you have guts, fight polls.”
The Bill, in the Statement of Objects and Reasons, states: “…trifurcation of the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi was uneven in terms of territorial divisions and revenue generating potential. As a result, there was a huge gap in the resources available to the three corporations compared to their obligations.”
It says that the gap has grown, leading to delay in the payment of salaries and retirement benefits which have resulted in frequent strikes.
“…the main objective of trifurcation of creating compact municipalities in Delhi to provide more efficient civic services to the public has not been achieved. Instead, owing to inadequacies in resources and uncertainty in fund allocation and release, the three corporations have been facing huge financial hardships, making it difficult for them to maintain the civic services in Delhi at the desired levels,” it states.
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The Delhi government has initiated its plan to set up smart boards in 20,000 classrooms in its schools by installing them in 16 classrooms in a North Delhi school.
The 16 “smart classrooms” have been set up at Shaheed Amir Chand Sarvodaya Vidyalaya located in Shankaracharya Marg. Reviewing this on Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said cameras will also be installed in these classrooms to record classes.
“These smart boards are equipped with state-of-the-art technology that will not only make the teaching-learning process a joyful one, but also help children learn better. With the integration of technology, children will have access to all online learning resources. Along with this, modern cameras for recording will also be installed in classrooms so that live recording of the class can be done. These recorded videos can be further accessed by students and teachers for educational purposes, whenever required,” he said.
He stated that the Delhi government has constructed more than 20,000 classrooms in its schools in the last few years and that it plans to convert all of these into “smart classrooms” in a phased manner, as well as those under construction. He also said that teachers will be given “special training” to make better use of the boards.
Schools in Delhi are currently closed for all grades. At the DDMA meeting held on Thursday, it was decided to defer discussion on this matter to the next meeting.
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A day after a 70-year-old woman went missing from her home in North Delhi’s Lahori Gate, police found her and reunited her with her family.
Under the Delhi Police’s ‘Milaap’ operation, several teams of the district police were deployed to trace the woman. She lives with her husband, aged 75.
DCP (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said, “It was our area patrolling team who found the man on the streets looking for his wife. He said she went missing from their home around 3 am on Friday. She has been suffering from age-related issues and Alzheimer’s for years. The couple lives alone. Their son died a few years back.”
ASI Swaroop Chand from Lahori Gate police station registered the husband’s complaint and started looking for the old woman. “We went to railway stations, gurdwaras, temples and markets nearby. At least 100 neighbours and locals were questioned. We also scanned 40-50 CCTVs in the area. We then took the elderly man on a bike so he could help in looking for his wife,” said an officer.
Police said they found her on Sunday in Chandni Chowk, walking near a shop. She was sent to a hospital for a checkup and is stable, said police.
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A 30-year-old woman was allegedly assaulted with a blade by a 21-year-old man in North Delhi. Police said they have arrested the accused, Sushil Kumar, who had been allegedly stalking the woman for months.
The woman sustained minor injuries on her neck.
On Tuesday afternoon, she was dropping her children off at their tuition class when the accused allegedly threatened her with the blade and asked her to get on his bike. Scared, she went with him.
Police said the accused took her to an isolated area and allegedly assaulted her with the blade. The woman screamed for help and locals in the area immediately rushed to help her, police said. The accused saw the crowd and snatched her phone before fleeing on his bike.
The woman lodged a complaint claiming that Sushil, who lives nearby, has been harassing her since April.
DCP (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said, “We sent our teams to trace the accused. Within 24 hours, we found where he was hiding. We sent our team and arrested him. His bike and the shaving blade he used during the offence were also seized.”
During questioning, Sushil told police he was “annoyed” because the victim was ignoring him. He had also allegedly threatened and assaulted her in April, but the victim didn’t lodge a complaint then.
“He was frustrated that the woman had rejected his advances and wanted to assault her with an intent to kill her. When the victim screamed for help and locals gathered, he got scared and snatched the woman’s phone so she would not be able to call police,” said DCP Kalsi.
Sushil is unemployed, said police. A case under IPC sections of attempted murder, theft, stalking, and criminal intimidation has been registered against him.
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The North Delhi Municipal Corporation and State Bank of India (SBI) have signed a Memorandum of Undertaking (MoU) for digital payment of municipal services. Commissioner Sanjay Goel said the SBI e-pay aggregator will facilitate online payment of municipal taxes and fees for any services using SBI’s gateway.
Goel said that citizens can pay taxes or dues of various online municipal services such as registration of birth and death, property tax and e-mutation, health trade license, general trade license, veterinary trade license, factory license application services, park and community hall booking, renewal of tehbazari, hawking, hackney carriage through the SBI e-pay gateway.
It provides digital access and makes e-governance services available to the citizens. He said that this is a step towards ‘Digitial India’ programme and to provide municipal services to the citizens.
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aiims roundabout
People wade through a waterlogged street in Tughlakabad on Thursday morning. The rain left several arterial roads waterlogged and led to traffic snarls. Photos: Abhinav Saha
