Delhi records its highest ever temperature, Mungeshpur bakes at 52.3 deg C
New Delhi, May 29: Delhi's Mungeshpur area Wednesday logged a maximum of 52.3 degrees Celsius, the highest ever temperature recorded in the city, officials said.
On Tuesday, the weather station in the northwest Delhi locality recorded 49.9 degrees Celsius.
A day later, the temperature rose further with the weather station recording a maximum temperature of 52.3 degrees Celsius at 4.14 pm, according to the website.
An IMD official told PTI, this is the highest ever maximum temperature recorded so far in Delhi.
Explaining the reason behind the rising mercury, IMD regional head Kuldeep Srivastava said the city's outskirts are the first areas to be hit by hot winds from Rajasthan.
"Parts of Delhi are particularly susceptible to the early arrival of these hot winds, worsening the already severe weather. Areas like Mungeshpur, Narela and Najafgarh are the first to experience the full force of these hot winds," he said.
Mahesh Palawat, the vice president of Meteorology and Climate Change at Skymet Weather, said, "In open areas with vacant land, there is increased radiation. Direct sunlight and lack of shade make these regions exceptionally hot."
"When wind blows from the west, it affects these areas first. As they are on the outskirts, temperatures rise rapidly," Palawat added.
Open areas and barren land are contributing to higher temperatures due to increased radiation, said IMD's Charan Singh.
With temperatures soaring, the city peak power demand rose to an all-time high of 8,302 MW at 15:36:32 hours on Wednesday, according power discom officials.
It is the first time in the history of the national capital that its power demand has crossed the 8,300-MW mark. Power distribution companies had estimated the demand to peak at 8,200 MW this summer.
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Right to vote under threat, must be made fundamental right: Cong's Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Thursday that the right to vote is under threat and the time has come when it should be made a fundamental right for citizens.
Speaking with reporters, Ramesh lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Election Commission (EC) has never been as compromised as it has been under him.
"The rot started under his predecessor. This man is a player and not a neutral observer," the Congress leader said, slamming Kumar.
Kumar is completely compromised and has become a player in elections, he alleged.
"Home Minister Amit Shah had talked about three Ds -- detect, delete and deport. So we want to know how many non-Indian citizens have been detected, how many have been deleted and how many have been deported," Ramesh said, adding that the right to vote is now under threat.
On opposition parties submitting a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the CEC's removal, the Congress leader said they will continue to make efforts for Kumar's removal as he is "compromised".
Ramesh also batted for the right to vote to be recognised as a fundamental right.
"I believe that the time has come that the right to vote should be made a fundamental right. It is a statutory right, it is not a fundamental right. Fundamental rights are justiciable," he said.
The former Union minister said this was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, but it was eventually decided that it should be made part of the Constitution.
B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram had warned that in the future, governments might try to disenfranchise voters, he added.
"Once and for all, include the right to vote as a fundamental right for Indian citizens," Ramesh asserted.
