Almost entire Delhi went without power for about eight hours on Monday due to the collapse of the Northern Grid, putting people to misery on a humid day when water distribution and Metro services were largely affected.

Top Delhi Power Department officials said the technical failure near Agra resulted in the collapse of the Northern Grid, which supplies electricity to Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajashtan, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The main casualty of the power failure was the water distribution system as well as Metro services but operations at the airport remained largely unaffected as diesel generating back-up system was put to use.

The temperature in the city is rising and the matter is of grave concern. If not attended to now, it will lead to some irreversible damage and leave us with no natural resources for the next generation.

According to a study by the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, the temperature in Delhi has risen by an average of 1-1.5 degree Celsius from the year 2001 to 2009. The rise is even more in the high-density areas like Chandni Chowk, Laxmi Nagar, Dhaula Kuan and Mayur Vihar Phase 1, where a rise of 2-2.5° Celsius has been recorded on the heat map developed by the faculty.

The Delhi government on Monday dismissed as “irrational and unconstitutional” the report prepared by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) criticising the 5.8 km BRT corridor between Ambed-kar Nagar and Moolchand.

In its reply filed before the Delhi high court on Monday, the transport department said that the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor has proven beneficial for a majority of the population dependent on public transport rather than a fraction of the people who travel by personal vehicles.

Plea to ban installation of towers on residential buildings

The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notices to the Union Government, the Delhi Government and Hutchison Essar Mobile Services Limited on a petition by a man seeking a direction to stop installation of mobile towers on residential buildings and at public places, submitting that the radiation emitted by them was carcinogenic and his son had recently died due to it.

Referring to the Supreme Court opinion on the scope of judicial review in policy matters, the Delhi Government has urged the Delhi High Court to refrain from interfering with the BRT corridor issue.

In an affidavit filed through R. P. Meena, Additional Commissioner of the Transport Department, urging the Court to maintain the sanctity of the BRT corridor, the Government said: “Maintain sanctity of the BRT corridor because if any other vehicles are allowed in BRT corridor, no bus will be able to reach designated platform for proper embarkation and disembarkation of passenger.”

People in the national capital are the least interested in stubbing out their smoking habit compared to other states in north India.

A new analysis on tobacco burden in north India has revealed that attempts to quit smoking have been the least in Delhi as compared to any other state in the region. Launched on Friday by Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, Shakuntala Gamlin, the analysis reveals that Haryana has the maximum number of cigarette smokers who made an effort to quit at some point or the other. While attempts to quit smoking were highest in Haryana at 34.2 per cent, Delhi recorded the least at just 12 per cent.

After getting Delhiites to shift from incandescent bulbs to the energy saving compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), the Government now wants the citizens to opt for the more “energy saving and environmentally safer” LED bulbs. And as an incentive to do so, the consumers are being offered LED bulbs at discounted rates.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Friday launched a scheme introduced by discom BRPL that offers cheaper LED bulbs to consumers. Ms. Dikshit said her government would like to promote LED bulbs by granting some concession in value added tax (VAT) to the sector.

The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed its anguish over the increasing number of car accidents in the city and blamed the Delhi Police for this in not enforcing the order prohibiting use of black films of any Visible Light Transmittance (VLT) percentage or any other material upon the safety glasses, windscreens (front and rear) and side glasses of all vehicles.

A Bench of Justices A. K. Patnaik and Swatanter Kumar reserved order on applications seeking clarification on certain aspects of the order passed on April 27 when the ban was imposed by the Court.

At 10 in the morning, Roshan Kumar is negotiating one of the busiest hours of his daily work on platform No.16 at New Delhi railway station.

Nearly 500 jhuggi dwellers from eight slum tenements on Wednesday became proud owners of their dwelling units, at least on paper, as they were presented with allotment letters to their houses at a function at Delhi Secretariat. The Government has in this scheme for the first time used biometrics to ensure that there was no duplication in allotment and no sale of the flats that are meant for rehabilitation.

While Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit handed over the allotment letters to 40 eligible beneficiaries, the rest were presented the allotment letters at the function itself.