Delhi to have 106 additional buses, 60 extra trips by metro trains to combat air pollution
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday said an additional 106 cluster buses would ply in the city while metro trains would make 60 extra trips in view of GRAP-3 measures imposed due to worsening air quality.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has imposed GRAP 3 measures as the national capital recorded the worst pollution levels in the country, with the air quality remaining in the "severe" category for two consecutive days.
On Friday too the city's air quality was in the severe category with an AQI of 411.
In a press briefing, Rai said interstate buses except for e-buses and CNG vehicles have been banned. Additionally, BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers have been prohibited, he said.
To boost public transport and reduce the use of private vehicles, the minister announced the introduction of an additional 106 cluster bus services by the Delhi Transport Corporation and 60 additional trips by metro trains.
Emergency measures, such as artificial rain, will be considered if the air quality deteriorates further, the minister said, adding that he would Centre about it again.
Private construction and demolition activities have been banned under GRAP III measures, he said.
"We are working on making GRAP-3 measures more effective in Delhi," Rai said and urged people to use bicycles to travel short distances, rely on public transport and carpool or work from home whenever possible.
He added that an inter-departmental meeting was held on Friday with officials from the MCD, PWD, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, transport, DTC, Metro, Education, and other departments concerned to strengthen the winter action plan.
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Four booked for tying 18-year-old to tree, beating him up in UP's Pratapgarh
Pratapgarh (UP) (PTI): Four people were booked here for the abduction and assault of a man who they allegedly tied to a tree and beat up, police said on Wednesday.
The incident, a video of which has gone viral, took place on Tuesday afternoon under the Kunda police station limits.
The FIR was registered on Wednesday evening based on a complaint from the victim's father.
According to Keshav Prasad Yadav, a resident of Mauli village, some people called his 18-year-old son Nikhil Yadav on the phone and asked him to come out of his house around 2.30 pm on Tuesday.
As he reached outside the village as instructed, the accused allegedly forced him into a car and took him towards the Tinpedwa forest area, where they tied him to a tree and assaulted, the complainant said.
The attackers also recorded a video of the incident and circulated it on social media. The purported video shows the men thrashing Nikhil one after another, while one of them is assumed to have recorded the act.
Kunda Station House Officer Manoj Pandey confirmed the incident and said efforts are underway to identify and arrest all the accused.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has shared the video on social media, describing the incident as reflective of a "dominant mindset" against the PDA (Pichda or Backward, Dalit, and Alpasankhyak or Minority), and demanded strict action against the accused.
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