Election body withheld MCD poll dates under pressure from BJP at Centre, alleges Manish Sisodia
New Delhi, Mar 9: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday alleged that the state election commission of Delhi has "withheld" the dates for civic polls in the national capital, "under pressure from the BJP at the Centre".
Sisodia made the accusation during a press conference, soon after State Election Commissioner (SEC) of Delhi, S K Srivastava, in a press meet, said, "We were about to announce the dates, but now it will take another five-seven days to announce them".
Earlier, the SEC was scheduled to announce the dates during the press conference at 5 PM.
"The term of the Houses of the civic bodies in Delhi are ending, and there was a pre-announced press conference where the dates were to be announced. Now, under pressure from the BJP at the Centre, the dates have been withheld," Sisodia alleged.
There was no immediate reaction from the BJP, the central government or the SEC.
The deputy chief minister further charged that never since Independence, has an "election commission acted in this manner".
"It (election body) has bent, and knelt down before the BJP at the Centre, after getting scared of it (BJP)," he charged.
Delhi has three civic bodies -- North, South and East Delhi municipal corporations -- and the last civic polls in the city were held in April 2017.
While the NDMC and the SDMC have 104 wards each, the EDMC has 64 wards.
MCD में हार की डर से भाजपा ने चुनाव आयोग के जरिये चुनाव टाल दिए। MCD में 15 साल के भ्रष्टाचार से जनता दुखी है और इसी से डरकर भाजपा चुनाव से भाग रही है।
— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) March 9, 2022
दिल्ली के लोग अब 'MCD में भी केजरीवाल' के लिए अपना मन बना चुका हैं। https://t.co/T97MCkpE3f
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India will ensure zero casualty during heat waves: Shah
Ghaziabad (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said his ministry has prepared a plan to ensure zero human casualty during heat waves in the country in the next few years with the underlying principle of being "proactive" rather than "reactive" towards disasters.
The minister spoke after he presented the President's Colour to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) at the campus of its 8th battalion here.
The President's Colour flag is awarded to a military or police unit for rendering exceptional service.
The honour came to the force in the 20th year of its establishment after it was raised in 2006 as a federal contingency force to undertake relief and rescue operations during natural and man-made disasters.
The President's Colour is not just a "recognition" for the excellent services of the NDRF but also of all the state disaster response forces, the state machinery, the NCC (National Cadet Corps), NSS (National Service Scheme), 'Apda Seva Mitras' (volunteers) among others, Shah said.
He added that the NDRF has earned the "admiration and trust" of the people of the country and even abroad through its operations.
The minister said the aim of the Modi government was to ensure "zero casualty and minimum property damage" during tragedies and calamities, including cyclones, earthquakes and floods.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has prepared a plan to better combat the "serious challenge" of heat waves in the country and we will be able to ensure "zero casualty" in this context over the next few years, Shah said.
Our approach and policy has been "proactive" against disasters rather than being just "reactive", he said.
Shah said India has made its name as a "global leader" in disaster management and being the "first responder" during calamities as he asked the NDRF to prepare itself in the face of global warming and climate change.
The NDRF has 16 operational battalions deployed across the country with an overall strength of about 18,000 personnel.
Speaking during the event, NDRF Director General (DG) Piyush Anand said the force has undertaken more than 12,000 operations since its creation.
