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Hindustan Times
27 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
SGPC chief Dhami slams Giani Harpreet, says breakaway faction will deepen divisions in Panth
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami on Tuesday said that the elevation of former Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh as the head of the breakaway Akali Dal faction will further intensify the fight within the community. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami addressing a press conference on Tuesday. (Sameer Sehgal/HT) Replying to queries on the delegate session called by the Akal Takht-appointed committee mandated to recast the SAD, Dhami said the entire exercise was to make two Akali Dals. 'When I first heard that Giani Harpreet Singh wants to become president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), I questioned him about this. He himself said that if both groups wished, he might become the president. Now, his long-cherished wish has been accomplished. This has created divisions in the panth. This will intensify the fight within the community,' Dhami said. Dhami said that as the chairperson of the seven-member committee, he made efforts to unite both the groups. 'I wanted to prevent the internal dispute in the panth. When I saw that my efforts were going in vain, I resigned from the committee and presidency of the SGPC,' he added. Dhami also questioned the delegate session and alleged that the entire process was pre-planned. 'They said they have elected 500 delegates. Have you got a list of the delegates? They are talking about the restoration of democracy within the party. Surjit Singh Rakhra announced a day before that Giani Harpreet Singh would become president and Satwant Kaur would head the panthic council. They failed to introduce a new system. Everything was finalised before the meeting of the delegates', he said. Dhami said SAD had split in the past as well, and through the election, people decided which one was real. 'However, I never saw that president of one faction calling for snatching of SGPC, party symbol and office. Is there any connection behind this language used by Giani Harpreet Singh? Such things never happened in the Sikh panth before. What is the intuition behind this statement? Anyone can contest SGPC elections to take its control?' the SGPC chief added. Responding to Giani Harpreet Singh's allegation that Centre is not conducting SGPC elections because it is in understanding with Sukhbir-led SAD, the SGPC chief said, 'This is not happening first time. There is no role of the SAD to prevent the polls. Punjab and Haryana high court has stayed the process after a petition was filed in this regard'. Hitting back at Dhami, some of the SGPC members, including Mithu Singh Kahneke, Malkit Singh Changal, Satwinder Singh Tohra and Jarnail Singh Kartarpur said, 'The internal war was started by none other than Sukhbir Singh Badal, and the SGPC chief supported him. Amid the calls for his resignation as party chief, Sukhbir started expelling his colleagues. That was the beginning of the internal war.' 'Sukhbir didn't implement the Jhundan committee report. It was all about monopolising control over the party. If Sukhbir had given up his control and allowed a universally accepted presidium to be formed, or appointed another president, or had a president elected through the seven-member committee, we would not be seeing this day today,' Kahneke said.
Hindustan Times
27 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
SC relief for ELV owners, to examine its 2018 order
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed no coercive action to be taken against those driving 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles in Delhi, effectively staying the implementation of its own October 2018 order which signed off on a 2014 order of the National Green Tribunal seeking to keep polluting vehicles off the roads in an attempt to combat the Capital's noxious air. Soon after coming to power in Delhi, the BJP government of the UT decided to deny fuel supply to end-of-life vehicles, which have crossed the threshold of 10 and 15 years operating on diesel and petrol. (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO) The 2014 and 2018 orders were never strictly enforced, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which came to power this year in the Union territory, and which made pollution one of its campaign issues, sought to do so in April 2025 by denying fuel to overage vehicles — only to face significant pushback from people. The Delhi government, on July 25, then challenged the ban as unscientific and said a vehicle's fitness should be based on its emission level, and not age. A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan R Gavai, justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria said, 'In the meantime, no coercive steps shall be taken against the owners of cars on the ground that they are 10 years old in respect of diesel and 15 years in respect of petrol vehicles.' The court issued notice on the Delhi government's application and posted the matter after four weeks. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta appeared for the Delhi government and sought urgent orders on the application claiming that the police is duty bound to act under the ban imposed by the court. 'Let there be no coercive action. Otherwise, police is under an obligation to take action against these vehicles,' Mehta said. There were similar applications moved by residents in Delhi and transport unions aggrieved by the ban. The court agreed to examine the issue. The order under challenge was passed by the top court on October 29, 2018 upholding the initial orders passed in this regard by the National Green Tribunal. The BJP-led government in Delhi said it was constrained to approach the top court considering the practical difficulties faced by the citizens in the Capital. The application filed last month said, 'To tackle the issue of pollution in the NCR region, a comprehensive policy is required which gives vehicle fitness based on the actual emission levels of an individual vehicle as per scientific methods rather than implementing a blanket ban based solely on the age of the vehicle.' The government also raised a public interest concern. It said, 'The directive to off road vehicles purely on the basis of age disproportionately affects middle-class citizens whose vehicles are less used, well-maintained, and compliant to fuel norms. It is submitted that the studies indicate that these vehicles often have significantly lower annual mileage and contribute negligibly to overall emissions.' It further stated that implementation of the court's order 'negatively affects' the market of second-hand cars, which alone is affordable by the poor and lower middle income class families residing in the region. Soon after coming to power in Delhi, the BJP government of the UT decided to deny fuel supply to end-of-life vehicles, which have crossed the threshold of 10 and 15 years operating on diesel and petrol. This decision was to be implemented from July 1. However, within days of implementation, the government sensed public sentiment and put its decision on hold. The application by the government acknowledged that the ban had a salutary aim in curbing pollution in Delhi over the past seven years. However, it said that the same was passed when Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) emission standards were in force. Since April 2020, it added, Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) has been implemented, which has much stricter and advanced norms. 'If the order of this court dated October 29, 2018 continues to operate, it will result in road worthy, non-polluting BS-VI vehicles also going off the roads in a matter of a few years without a scientific basis for the same…there does not appear to be a scientific basis for mandating that even BS-IV vehicles which meet PUC norms should be taken off the roads in Delhi NCR. These are serious issues which may require a fresh scientific evaluation,' the application said. The government's application said no data-based evidence currently exists to establish that all diesel vehicles older than 10 years or petrol vehicles older than 15 years are uniformly polluting. Instead, it said that the road-worthiness of a vehicle which is a technical and scientific issue must be linked to actual emissions as tested and recorded by mechanisms set out under the Motor Vehicles Act, the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, as opposed to a blanket ban on the basis of age which is unlinked to actual emissions. Prior to the SC order, the NGT had in November 2014 directed that all diesel vehicles (heavy or light) which are over 10 years old and petrol vehicles more than 15 years old will not be permitted to ply on Delhi roads. These orders were challenged multiple times before the top court which refused to interfere. On October 29, 2018, the court while considering the 92nd Report of the erstwhile Environmental Pollution Control Authority (now replaced by CAQM) accepted the suggestions of the amicus curiae endorsing the NGT order of November 2014. CAQM had used the VAHAN database to estimate 6.2 million ELVs (end of life vehicles) in Delhi, including 4.1 million two-wheelers and 1.8 million four-wheelers. However, government officials later clarified that this number includes vehicles that are already scrapped, de-registered, or issued no-objection certificates to be sold outside the NCR. A senior official familiar with the data said the actual number of ELVs still operating on Delhi roads is likely closer to 600,000—just 10% of the figure cited by CAQM. Delhi's total vehicle population is around 8.1 million, according to the Delhi Statistical Handbook 2024.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Raj Gopal fires fresh salvo, asks why 2 brothers can't be ministers
1 2 Hyderabad: Congress MLA Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy on Tuesday fired yet another salvo at Congress top guns, stating that didn't the party leadership know that they are two brothers, Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy and Venkat Reddy, in the grand old party, when promising him a cabinet berth. "I was promised a cabinet berth at the time of coming back into Congress from BJP during the assembly elections (in Nov 2023). After we two brothers won the assembly polls, again I was promised a cabinet berth at the time of the Lok Sabha elections (May 2024) to ensure the victory of Congress from Bhongir parliament seat. At least, then they would have been well aware that two brothers were legislators in Congress," he said. Stating that he was waiting patiently for the party high command to honour its promise of giving a cabinet berth to him, he said denial of a ministry to him would be deemed as an injustice to the the people of Munugode constituency, represented by him. "I will tolerate injustice to me but not to the people of my constituency," he said. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad | Gold Rates Today in Hyderabad | Silver Rates Today in Hyderabad On the comments of some Congress top leaders, including deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka that caste and other equations were the reasons for him not getting a cabinet berth so far, Raj Gopal pointed out that there were three ministers from Khammam, where nine Congress MLAs were there, and what was wrong in Nalgonda district having three ministers, which has 11 legislators from Congress. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play this game for 1 minute and see why everyone is addicted. Undo "We, both brothers, are efficient. What is wrong if two brothers, who are efficient, are ministers? I will continue to wait patiently even if there is a further delay in cabinet berth being given to me. You (Congress leadership) gave word, fulfil it. But until then, don't neglect Munugode's development. Why aren't the equations working out to take me into the cabinet? Who is blocking my entry?," he asked. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
