
Delhi govt appoints PWD nodal officer to fast-track 5G, broadband infra rollout
This move comes after a meeting held last year where central authorities asked departments like the PWD to designate officials responsible for handling connectivity-related clearances. 'The newly appointed nodal officer will focus on clearing pending permissions related to Right of Way (RoW)' a key requirement for laying underground optical fibre and erecting telecom towers,' officials said.
To streamline infrastructure, the committee has directed the Urban Development Department to ensure that all agencies planning excavation work inform the relevant authorities beforehand.

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New Indian Express
9 hours ago
- New Indian Express
LG withdraws power to grant licences to cinema halls from Delhi Police
NEW DELHI: Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has withdrawn the power of granting licences to cinema halls and theatres from Delhi Police and authorised the city government's Revenue Department as the licensing authority. According to the officials, the objective of the order is to ease the licensing processes and create a conducive business atmosphere sans red tape in Delhi. A committee headed by the district magistrate will have the authority to grant licenses to the cinema halls, multiplexes. The committee comprising the deputy commissioner of the respective MCD zone, a structural engineering/building expert nominated by the secretary of PWD, a fire safety expert, an electrical system expert will make recommendations for the grant of such licenses, the official circular said. A representative of the District Disaster Management Authority will also be nominated by the district magistrate. The move follows the Lieutenant Governor's recent major decision to take the powers of issuing licenses for seven categories of businesses—swimming pools, eateries, hotels, guest houses, discotheques, video game parlours, amusement parks, and auditoriums—from Delhi Police. In an order issued by Raj Niwas on Friday, the LG has issued directions to the Delhi Police Commissioner to direct all the officials concerned to refrain from dealing with matters related to the grant of licenses under the Cinematograph Act, with immediate effect.


Indian Express
18 hours ago
- Indian Express
Two-half flyovers, signal-free travel to airport: Delhi govt seeks funds from Centre to decongest Outer Ring Road stretch
Even as it was first proposed in 2016, the Outer Ring Road Integrated Corridor Redevelopment Project, which aims to ease travel from Southeast Delhi to neighbouring cities and the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), never took off. In a fresh push to the decongestion plans, the Delhi government has now sent a proposal to the Centre to seek funds for the construction of two half-flyovers at Modi Mill and Savitri Cinema intersection. The estimated cost of this project, which aims to decongest a 7.2-km long stretch, is Rs 411.97 crore, said officials, adding that it will help cut the time between Modi Mill or Okhla in Southeast Delhi to Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) by 15-20 minutes. Traveling from Southeast Delhi to the airport and neighbouring cities like Faridabad and Gurgaon will also be smoother. The mega corridor redevelopment project will also ease traffic in the upscale areas in close proximity. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta recently reviewed the project at a meeting with the Public Works Department (PWD). The Delhi government has sought funds from the Centre under the special capital projects funds, said officials. 'A proposal has been submitted to the Ministry of Urban Development on July 21,' said a senior PWD official. There are six elevated corridors at the 7.2-km stretch, which is at the centre of the project, at Khel Gaon, Nehru Place, Savitri Cinema, Chirag Dilli, Kalkaji, and Modi Mill (Okhla ) flyover. 'The redevelopment plan includes construction of two half-flyovers at Modi Mill and Savitri Cinema intersection. Currently, on this stretch, there are two single flyovers at Savitri Cinema and Kalkaji. The stretch provides one-way connectivity towards IIT Delhi. However, those coming from IIT towards Okhla suffer as there is no parallel flyover. So, the department is planning to make two half flyovers, and extend the Modi Mill flyover to the proposed Kalkaji flyover,' another official explained. Currently, there are around eight traffic signals and intersections at a distance of every 500-600 metres at the stretch. These intersections provide connectivity to surrounding areas like Okhla Industrial area, Sukhdev Vihar, CR Park, Kalkaji Temple, Nehru Place, and Greater Kailash. 'Once, the financial approval comes and departments receive the required budget for the project, the tendering process will begin,' said the official, adding that with the integration of flyovers, the traffic signals will be removed and the stretch will become signal free. At present, the Modi Mill intersection often sees traffic due to the congestion in Okhla Mandi. 'On average, the 7.2-km stretch sees more than two lakh vehicles plying daily, including both light motor vehicles and heavy vehicles … It is also one of the arterial stretches for residents of nearby upscale colonies like Greater Kailash, CR Park, Chirag Dilli, Pamposh Enclave, Panchsheel Park, Green Park, Kalkaji, Okhla and others to reach the airport and Gurgaon…,' the official explained. Officials also said that there are also plans to widen the Okhla flyover by 2 metre on both sides and provide back-to-back U-turns to connect nearby colonies. 'The merging of these two flyovers will make the stretch signal free and the vehicles, coming from the Okhla Mandi side, can take U- turn to go towards Nehru Place or IIT side smoothly,' the official explained. The project received a nod from the road engineering authority— Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (UTTIPEC) — last year. The PWD then sent the project to the previous AAP government to seek approval for financial sanction, but did not get a go-ahead, officials said.


Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Mufti for alternative plan to avoid razing of mosques
Varanasi: As the process of widening of Dalmandi Road in Varanasi gains momentum, Mufti-e-Banaras Maulana Abdul Batin Nomani has written an open letter to the President, the Prime Minister, Chief Minister and top brass of various opposition parties seeking an alternative route to avoid demolition of six mosques and the centuries old busy market. Following Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's instructions to officials on July 17 to ensure the execution of Dalmandi Road widening project, and the financial and administrative approval by the state cabinet on July 22 for easy access to Gate 4 of Kashi Vishwanath Dham from Nai Sadak, the executing agency, public works department (PWD), started demarcation of 184 identified buildings. The project, worth Rs 215.88 crore, aims to convert the 650-metre-long Dalmandi, a narrow street replete with bottlenecks, into a 17.4-metre-wide passage. PWD officials said that the process of examining documents to determine who possesses the areas in identified buildings and their ownerships had started. This will be followed by the valuation of properties and beginning of negotiations for purchase or acquisition. In an open letter to President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Nomani said, "Dalmandi is a historical and vibrant area of the city that houses a major commercial hub of Purvanchal. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pirates Climb Aboard Cargo Ship - Watch What The Captain Did Next Tips and Tricks Undo For years, people from diverse social, cultural, and religious backgrounds have engaged in business activities here in harmony." "The livelihoods of nearly 10,000 families are directly and indirectly linked to this area. The project will lead to the demolition of hundreds of shops, houses, and waqf mosque sites. Efforts should be made to explore an alternative route to avoid the demolition of six mosques and the centuries-old busy market," Nomani said. "Dalmandi area is also an excellent example of communal harmony. It is not only commercially important but also the birthplace and workplace of great figures in India's literature, art, and culture. Demolition of mosques will not only violate constitutional and religious sentiments but also create insecurity and anger among the country's minority communities," he said, demanding suspension of the project claiming that the High Court had granted a temporary stay to mosques and building owners concerned, indicating that there are legal complexities inherent in this project. Meanwhile, the Congress also wrote to Governor Anandiben Patel, terming the road-widening bid "as a bulldozer of redevelopment on the soul of Kashi". Gyanvapi mosque management committee's joint secretary, SM Yasin, appealed to people not to create panic on the issue. Congress's city unit president Raghvendra Chaubey said that a 12-member team of party functionaries had been formed to conduct a survey of the area to understand the ground reality of Dalmandi.