PWD asks officials to carry out inspections after complaints about non-functional street lights
New Delhi, Oct 13: Concerned with the rise in complaints about non-functional street lights, the Public Works Department of the Delhi government directed officials to visit roads between 9 and 10 pm for spot inspections.
The directions were issued at a recently-held meeting chaired by PWD Engineer-in-Chief Umesh Chandra Mishra.
According to the minutes of the meeting, field units were directed to prepare a check list indicating that all street lights were properly functioning at night on the PWD's roads.
"It was informed by Director (E&W) that a number of complaints regarding non-functioning of street lights are being received.
"The E-in-C directed that the maintenance vans attached with various field units should inspect the roads at night between 9 to 10 pm for on-the-spot-inspection," stated minutes of meeting.
The PWD owns around 1,260-km roads in the national capital. Local bodies also own their roads in the city.
It said all the chief engineers of maintenance zones were asked to ensure that necessary directions are passed to field units in the matter.
Apart from this, the PWD also directed for appointment of a link officer in every Assembly constituency in the city to interact with respective MLAs on various issues pertaining to the agency.
The move has come after several legislators demanded appointment of a link officer for works pertaining to the PWD in their respective constituencies.
Also, according to minutes of the meeting, the PWD asked its officials to repair potholes on its roads immediately.
"The E-in-C stressed on taking a serious view of the matter pertaining to repair of potholes and ensure timely action by all field units as the liability in the matter wrests with road owning agencies," it stated.
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Pope Leo XIV calls for aid to reach Gaza and an end to hostilities in his first general audience
Vatican City (AP): Pope Leo XIV called for humanitarian aid to reach the Gaza Strip and for an end to the “heartbreaking” toll on its people, as he presided over his first general audience in St. Peter's Square.
The Vatican said that around 40,000 people were on hand for the audience, which came just days after an estimated 200,000 people attended the inaugural Mass on Sunday for history's first American pope.
Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, began the audience with a tour through the piazza in the popemobile and stopped to bless several babies. In addressing specific greetings to different groups of pilgrims, Leo spoke in his native English, his fluent Spanish as well as the traditional Italian of the papacy.
“I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entrance of dignified humanitarian aid to Gaza and to put an end to the hostilities whose heartbreaking price is being paid by children, the elderly, and sick people,” he said.
The general audience on Wednesdays is a weekly appointment that popes have kept for decades to allow ordinary faithful to have a face-to-face encounter with the pontiff. It features the pope delivering a brief reflection on a theme or Scripture passage, with summaries provided by others in different languages and the pope directing specific messages to particular faith groups.
The encounter, which lasts more than an hour, usually ends with a brief topical appeal by the pope about a current issue or upcoming event. Leo began it with his now-frequent mantra “Peace be with you.”
To that end, Leo on Tuesday reaffirmed the Vatican's willingness to host the next round of ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine during a phone call with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, the Italian leader's office said.
Meloni made the call after speaking with U.S. President Donald Trump and other European leaders, who asked her to verify the Holy See's offer.
“Finding in the Holy Father the confirmation of the willingness to welcome the next talks between the parties, the premier expressed profound gratitude for Pope Leo XIV's willingness and his incessant commitment in favor of peace,” Meloni's office said in a statement late Tuesday.
Trump had referred to the Vatican's longstanding offer to host talks in reporting on his phone call Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
While low-level talks could take place in Rome, Italy would be hard-pressed to allow Putin to fly into Rome for any higher-level negotiation. Putin is subject to an international arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, of which Italy is a founding member and therefore obliged to execute its warrants.
