Latest news with #DevenderYadav
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Delhi Congress chief hits out at govt citing DPCC report on Yamuna pollution
NEW DELHI: Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav on Saturday criticised the Rekha Gupta-led BJP government in the city over the worsening pollution levels in the Yamuna River, calling it a 'grave concern'. Referring to the July pollution report by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), Yadav said that pollution levels in the Yamuna have worsened since March. This, he said, clearly exposes the BJP's hollow promises on cleaning the river. He alleged that the government has only made tall claims about cleaning the Yamuna after assuming power in Delhi but has taken no concrete action. Instead, it has misled the public by performing symbolic rituals like Yamuna Aarti. 'BJP's poll promise of giving top priority to cleaning the Yamuna has completely fallen apart after the DPCC report. As per clean water standards, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) should be 3 mg/litre or less, dissolved oxygen should be 5 mg/litre or more, and fecal coliform (indicating excreta/organic pollution) should be 500 MPN per 100 ml. Water becomes unusable when it reaches 2,500 MPN,' Yadav said. He added that although the Delhi government allocated `9,000 crore for cleaning the Yamuna and sewage treatment, no visible work has been done in the last six months. No new sewage treatment plants have been built, nor have faulty ones been repaired. 'BJP-ruled states —Delhi, Haryana and UP— are coming together to formulate an action plan to clean the polluted Yamuna, but first the Gupta government should clean the 22 km stretch of the Yamuna running through Delhi, which is the most polluted, while the construction of 12 proposed decentralised STPs is still hanging in suspense,' Yadav said. He questioned how the government plans to operate a cruise boat in the Yamuna by December when the river remains highly polluted.
New Indian Express
15-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Assembly Secretariat writes to Congress leader Yadav over remarks on speaker's house
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Legislative Assembly Secretariat has written to Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav over his public statement and media reports alleging excessive expenditure on the renovation of Speaker Vijender Gupta's official residence. Earlier, the Speaker had sought an unconditional apology from Yadav regarding his claim that over Rs 2.35 crore was spent on the residence, including Rs 94.69 lakh on toilets and bathrooms. The Secretariat said the matter has been referred to the Committee of Privileges due to the seriousness and potential breach of privilege. Yadav has been asked to submit written comments and supporting documents within three days for examination by the committee. The communication notes that Yadav's remarks may amount to a breach of privilege of the House and its Presiding Officer, undermining the institution's dignity. 'The Delhi Legislative Assembly reiterates its commitment to constitutional propriety and institutional dignity. Misleading public statements, particularly against the Chair, will be dealt with through legislative procedures,' said the statement.
Hans India
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Give Rs 10 lakh each ex gratia to 5 killed in building collapses: Delhi Congress
New Delhi: Seeking action against lax officials shielding unauthorised buildings, the Delhi Congress on Saturday demanded Rs 10 lakh each ex gratia for five people killed in two separate building collapses in Seelampur and Azad Market since Friday. Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee President Devender Yadav said that a case should be registered against those responsible for the death of the five people, and a high-level investigation should be held along with action against the guilty. Four people were killed in the collapse of a two-and-a-half-storey building in Janata Mazdoor Colony, Seelampur, early on Saturday, and another person died when a dilapidated building in Azad Market caved in due to tunnelling. Yadav said that after the tragic accident, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta did not reach the site of the incident, and this shows her sensitivity towards the people of Delhi. The Congress President demanded that the Delhi government announce a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of those who died in Seelampur and Rs 2 lakh each to the injured. He alleged that action has not been taken against those responsible for the death of 11 people when a four-storey building collapsed in Mustafabad on April 19. Yadav said that the negligence and neglect of the present BJP's triple-engine government and the corruption-ridden government of the previous Aam Aadmi Party are responsible for the collapse of houses in the congested colonies of Delhi. He said that if a 15-year-old building collapses like a pack of cards, one can imagine how strong the land mafia's concrete columns were. The Congress leader said that the BJP and AAP have played with the lives of people by colluding with builders. He said that the MCD identifies dangerous buildings every year ahead of the monsoon but does not demolish them unless the property owner pays a bribe. He said that there are dangerous buildings in the Paharganj and Chandni Chowk areas as well as in the whole of Delhi, but no action is taken against them. Yadav said that in the past 11 years, there has been rampant unauthorised construction in Seelampur and Mustafabad under the patronage of AAP and BJP MLAs, and at present, there is no control over the corruption taking place. In January, a five-storey under-construction building collapsed in Burari, killing five people and injuring 12, while in April, a four-storey building collapsed in Mustafabad, killing 11 people, he said.
NDTV
07-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Delhi Speaker Junks Rs 94-Lakh Bathroom Makeover Claim, Congress Hits Back
New Delhi: A fresh political face-off has erupted between the Delhi Assembly Speaker and the Congress over the alleged Rs 2.35 crore renovation of the Speaker's official residence, including a reported Rs 94.69 lakh spent on bathrooms alone. The war of words has escalated after Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav dubbed the residence 'Shauchmahal', mirroring the BJP's earlier 'Sheeshmahal' jibe at former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Speaker Vijender Gupta's office, in a formal letter to Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) President Devender Yadav, has demanded an immediate withdrawal of his remarks and an unconditional apology within three days. Calling the allegations "baseless," the letter accused Mr Yadav of misrepresenting facts and undermining the dignity of a Constitutional post for political mileage. The letter also disputed the Congress' claim that the residence in question is located at 9, Shamnath Marg, asserting that it is not the Speaker's official address. It warned that such "false and misleading" statements were unbecoming of a former MLA. Mr Yadav, however, has refused to back down. The DPCC said the figures cited were based on official documents and publicly available records, including the Delhi government's own website, and insisted the concerns raised were valid. "We stand by the facts. If public money is being spent excessively on luxury renovations, the public has a right to know," the Delhi Congress letter said, claiming that the Speaker, who once criticised the former CM's residence renovation as 'Sheeshmahal', should apply the same standards to his own office. The Congress also questioned the Speaker's outrage, asking "Why object to a statement based on government records? Why demand an apology for asking questions of public interest?" The party has framed the issue as one of transparency and accountability. "We have raised the issue of the expenditure involved in the renovation of the Speaker's official residence in the same spirit of accountability responsibility we share as representatives of a responsible national opposition party," their response read.
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
LG allows leeway for Kasturba Nagar redevelopment; 856 trees to be affected
New Delhi: Lieutenant governor VK Saxena, through a gazette notification, granted an exemption under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA), 1994, to facilitate the construction of residential accommodation at Kasturba Nagar Phase-II over an area of 8.90 hectares. This could lead to the felling or transplantation of 856 trees. While a tree officer, under the provisions of the DPTA, can only consider an application for felling or transplantation of trees limited to a one-hectare area, the gazette exempts the entire section of the DPTA to overrule the area limitation clause. Though the notification is not permission to fell the trees, it grants the tree officer authority to consider if the required permission could be granted for the entire exempted area. This exemption, granted under Section 29 of the DPTA, allows CPWD to seek permission from a tree officer in the Delhi forest department to fell or transplant 856 trees. The move was criticised by Delhi Congress on Sunday. The gazette notification was issued on June 13 but made public on Sunday. It stated that it invokes Section 29 of the DPTA to bypass the area restriction in "public interest." "… in public interest, (the LG) exempts an area of 8.90 hectares… from the limitation of maximum one-hectare area under sub-section (3) of Section 9 of the said Act for the construction of General Pool Residential accommodation," the notification says. This provision has been utilised a few times recently, including for the New Delhi Railway station redevelopment (115.88 hect), Common Central Secretariat buildings, and a northeast Delhi flyover. The exemption allows the tree officer to review the previously ineligible application. With required exemption, the deputy conservator of forest (south division), acting as the tree officer, will evaluate the application according to DPTA guidelines, Delhi Preservation of Trees Rules, 1996, and relevant court directives. The gazette mandates that the tree officer must exercise careful consideration to minimise tree impact. Attacking BJP, Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav said, "This is a double blow to both the environment and social justice."
