Pioneer In Short
Delhi’s fails rain test before BRICS
Heavy rain on Friday left several parts of Delhi waterlogged, including areas around Indira Gandhi International Airport, raising questions over coordination among civic agencies ahead of the BRICS Summit next week. The capital will host the two-day summit at Bharat Mandapam on September 12 and 13. The PWD-run Dwarka underpass, connecting Palam with the IGI domestic terminal area, was heavily flooded after the downpour. A DTC bus was briefly stranded, while other buses were diverted. PWD officials said temporary pumps were deployed and the water was cleared within minutes. Under flood-control protocols, PWD teams are required to alert the control room when water reaches 6-8 inches and deploy mobile pumps.
If levels continue rising, traffic is to be stopped and DTC advised to divert buses. Another underpass linking Mahipalpur, Mehrauli and Vasant Kunj was also waterlogged. PWD officials said several other affected roads and underpasses near the airport fall under DIAL and NHAI. The waterlogging comes days after Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu directed agencies to adopt a “whole of Government” approach to tackle the problem. At an August 26 review meeting, he called for greater coordination and sought reports on waterlogging-related issues by the end of August.
BJP faces FIR over purification ritual
A zero FIR was registered on Friday against Uttarakhand BJP members and others over an alleged “purification” ritual held at a Haldwani venue two days after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally there, police said. The case was registered at Vidhana Soudha Police Station following a complaint filed on August 31 by T R Ramappa, former vice-chairman of the Congress’s Adivasi Congress wing. According to the complaint, Kharge addressed a public rally at Haldwani’s Ramlila Ground on August 8. On August 10, BJP members and functionaries allegedly conducted a “Shuddhikaran” ritual at the same venue. The complainant alleged the ritual conveyed a “casteist” message that the venue had been rendered impure by Kharge, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste community.
The complaint also accused Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt of publicly defending and justifying the ritual. Police said a legal opinion was sought before registering the case under relevant provisions of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 196(1)(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, concerning acts promoting enmity between groups and prejudicial to communal harmony. A zero FIR can be registered at any police station irrespective of territorial jurisdiction and later transferred to the appropriate police station.
