Nine hotspots spew pollution despite apex court order

Clouds of dust, ongoing construction work in some sites, open dumping of garbage — this isn’t what the supreme court had in mind On November 4, a Supreme Court bench cited 16 “hotspot regions” in the NCR as the source for “major polluting activities” that need to be curtailed. Visits to some of these sites, […]

Aaaahxygen!

When you get tired of inhaling polluted air, try a dose of oxygen to feel rejuvenated — although doctors doubt its therapeutic benefits No respite is in sight as the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi-NCR continues to jump between ‘severe’ and ‘very poor’ category. While startups are coming up with anti-pollution devices, the Capital […]

When push comes to shove, the police do deliver

With ambulance drivers on strike, PCRs have become labour rooms on at least 12 occasions Twelve children in Delhi will be able to boast that they were born in Police Control Room (PCR) vans. That’s a few years later, when they are capable of understanding how births take place and how a moving vehicle is […]

Drama on the street

Studio Safdar has chosen to involve the community in choosing plays which will be performed in their midst in Shadipur, far from the elite Mandi House area “Naatak dekho, nataak dekho, Shadipur mein naatak dekho,” sing a group of people out loud in the congested street of E block in West Delhi’s Shadipur. From kids […]

Robbery gone wrong or ‘accidental killing’?

Praveen Mediratta and his family members Sudesh, Priyanka and Saurabh Kataria were found murdered on November 9 Residents of Sector 7, Faridabad, National Capital Region, are in a state of shock. On the afternoon of November 9, four members of a family were found dead in their home. The bodies of Dr Praveen Mediratta, his […]

‘Media demonised us’

On November 11, Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami hosted a prime time segment on the “chaos and mayhem” created by students of Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi “for a mere Rs 290 fee hike”. As the channel flashed the hashtag #JNUFreebies, he asked if “those who want to freeload forever” should be allowed to “hold […]

JNU protests against fee hike

The protest entered its 15th day as over 3,000 students disrupted a convocation programme to demand the withdrawal of a new hostel rules manual On November 13, Education Secretary in the Ministry of Human Resource Development R Subrahmanyam announced a “major” rollback in hostel fee and “economic assistance to EWS students”. However, the students of […]

How embassies tackle pollution

From installing air purifiers and special devices to issuing masks, diplomatic missions are taking a series of steps to help their employees handle the pollution It’s that time of the year again when Delhi is shrouded in a thick haze of poisonous air. While most citizens seem resigned to living and working in such hazardous […]