Delhiites will have to settle for a smog-ridden Diwali this year. The thick haze that has settled over the city is not expected to dissipate in the coming week. Dr L.S. Rathore, director general of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), said, “A low density dust-ridden fog has spread its tentacles across the city. A combination of cyclone Nilam pumping moisture into the atmosphere, falling temperature and the presence of pollutants has created this smog cover.”

“With no horizontal or vertical mechanism like long strong winds to blow it away, we expect it to hover over the city for the next 5-6 days,” Mr Rathore explained. Doctors warn that Delhites are choking on Delhi’s air much before Diwali.

Accused of allowing huge cost overruns in award of work for revamping the water transmission and distribution system in the Capital’s Nangloi area on a public-private partnership basis, the Delhi Jal Board on Thursday vehemently denied the charges and said comparisons could not be drawn between the Nangloi project and other similar works.

A non-government organisation, Citizens’ Front for Water Democracy, had accused the DJB recently of allowing work to be carried out on inflated rates and comparing the Nangloi project with a similar one in Patna, saying the cost difference between the two was a whopping Rs. 1,000 crore.

Justice Sachar writes to Sheila: “Consumers will have to pay more for services”

A non-government organisation, the Water Privatisation-Commercialisation Resistance Committee (WPCRC), has written to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit against privatising the water sector in the Capital. Drawing comparisons with privatisation of the power sector carried out earlier, the WPCRC has pointed out that bringing private companies into the water sector would mean consumers having to pay more for services.

New Delhi: The city experienced shallow fog for the third consecutive day on Wednesday as still air and high moisture levels arising from Cyclone Nilam resulted in low visibility conditions almost

New Delhi: Illegal constructions in the city are once again under the scanner of Delhi high court.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Centre for a report on implementation of government’s long-term action plan to control the outbreak of diseases such as dengue in the city.

A major dengue epidemic is sweeping the country but the health ministry continues to be in denial.

All the leading private hospitals in Delhi, including Fortis, Max Healthcare, Apollo Hospital and Batra Hospital, are flooded with dengue patients and on any one day these hospitals have been handling over 150 dengue patients. Beds have been placed in waiting spaces of the larger hospitals to treat additional patients. But officials insist the number of dengue cases is still inching towards the 1,000 mark and therefore cannot be called an “epidemic”.

The Centre was asked on Wednesday by the Delhi High Court to submit to it a report on implementation of the government’s long-term action plan to control the outbreak of dangerous diseases like dengue in the city.

A division bench of Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw sought the report within three weeks from the Union Ministry of Health and posted the matter for December 12.

Declaring that the first in-situ slum rehabilitation project undertaken at Kathputli Colony in his New Delhi parliamentary constituency was close to his heart, Union Housing and Poverty Alleviation Minister Ajay Maken said on Tuesday that more such projects would be planned to rid the city and other urban areas across the country of slums.

Speaking after assuming charge of the new Ministry, Mr. Maken who has been elevated to the Union Cabinet rank now, said he would also be working on expediting the process of redevelopment of slums. “At the time of the 1982 Asian Games when construction of various projects was undertaken, little thought was paid to the need of housing for the workers

‘Award of work for revamping water supply violates rules’

A non-government organisation working in the water sector has alleged misappropriation of funds by the Delhi Jal Board in the award of work for improvement and revamping of existing water supply, transmission and distribution network under the Nagloi Water Treatment Plant. Comparing the size and the scope of the project with design, construction, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance of intake of a 50 MGD WTP and water supply distribution network in the city of Patna, the NGO has claimed that over Rs.1,000 crore are being misappropriated through the execution of the project in Nangloi.