AAP holds Kumar responsible for its legal troubles Amid indications that Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, who was to superannuate this month, may get an extension of 6 months, the AAP-led Delhi govt has been engaged in a no-holds-barred attack against him. The AAP brass has been demanding Kumar’s scalp ever since he was appointed, but the Centre has consistently ignored them. The AAP suspects Kumar’s hand in exposing the various ‘scams’ which cornered them. Now, with Kumar tipped to get an extension, it is evidently anguished. If and when he does get it, another round of ugly confrontations is on the cards.
Efficacy of pollution control bodies under scanner While dealing with a media report raising doubts on the contribution of pollution control boards in discharging their mandate at a time when Delhi’s air quality dropped to the severe level, NGT observed that such bodies are short-staffed. It noted that out of 11,969 sanctioned posts, only 5,877 are filled across many states. The tribunal, referring to the CPCB’s reply, said that in some of the states, properly accredited laboratories are not designated under the Environment Protection Act as environmental laboratories and in some cases the labs do not even exist.
When balloons failed to escape from Tihar Jail Though Tihar has at times failed to stop cellphones and other electronic gadgets from entering the prison, something which was released in the presence of high-ranking officials failed to escape. Not it was not a prisoner, but some balloons! When DG Tihar released a hundred helium-filled balloons during an event called Prarambh 2.0, meant to impart training to inmates, they just slumped to the ground, leaving everyone amused. The staff then had to disentangle them and they finally flew out of the prison premises.
Rajasekhar angling for NDMC secretary’s post? After NDMC secretary Ankita Chakravarthy got posted in MHA as a deputy secretary, the post has multiple contenders. On of them is reportedly YVVJ Rajasekhar who is serving as vigilance special secretary in the AAP-led Delhi govt and has been at loggerheads with it. Sources say Rajasekhar is angling for the post as uncertainty prevails over Delhi chief secretary Naresh Kumar, set to retire by month-end, getting an extension. Kumar has reportedly been protecting him after he led investigation in many cases which took the sheen off the anti-corruption façade of the AAP.
‘Metro Fly’ tagline on X arouses users’ curiosity DMRC has, of late, been quite creative in its social media posts. Recently, it posted a ‘Metro Fly’ tagline on X, which aroused the curiosity of many users who wondered if a new project had been started. It then explained that the tagline was for the Airport Express Line. It further explained in its post that the Express Line provided hassle free travel. “Say hello to a quicker, more affordable journey from your city centre to the airport. Get on board and let your adventures take flight,” the post read. The DMRC also termed the Airport Express Line as ‘The Fast Track to the Skies’.
Contributed by Anup Verma, Jaison Wilson, Ujwal Jalali, Ashish Srivastava, Ifrah Mufti
