Latest news with #NOCs
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
ETPB announces Sikh pilgrimage schedule despite Pakistan-India tensions
Listen to article The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) has announced the schedule for two major Sikh religious events to be held in Pakistan this month, despite ongoing tensions and the continued suspension of cross-border movement between India and Pakistan. According to the official schedule, the death anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev Ji (Jor Mela) will be commemorated on June 16 at Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore. The death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh will be observed on June 29 at his samadhi, also located in Lahore. Sikh pilgrims from around the world, including India, have been invited to attend. However, due to strained diplomatic ties, India is unlikely to issue the required No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for Indian pilgrims to travel to Pakistan, according to sources. Pakistan has expressed its readiness to facilitate cross-border pilgrimage. The ETPB has finalised all necessary arrangements for potential arrivals, including security, accommodation, and transportation across key religious sites. If India grants travel permissions, the first group of pilgrims is expected to arrive on foot via the Wagah Border on Monday, June 9. The group will begin their pilgrimage at Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, and visit local gurdwaras during a two-day stay. The pilgrims will then proceed to Gurdwara Sacha Sauda in Farooqabad, followed by a visit to Hassan Abdal on June 11. They are scheduled to stay at Gurdwara Panja Sahib on June 12 and are expected to visit the nearby shrine of Muslim saint Baba Wali Qandhari. On June 13, the group will travel to Narowal to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, staying until June 14. They will proceed to Lahore via Gurdwara Rori Sahib in Eminabad on June 15. The main religious ceremony for Guru Arjan Dev Ji's martyrdom, including the Bhog Akhand Path Sahib ritual, will be held on June 16 at Gurdwara Dera Sahib. Pilgrims will remain in Lahore on June 17 and return to India via Wagah on June 18. A second group of Indian pilgrims is scheduled to arrive on Sunday, June 22, for the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. They will begin their visit in Nankana Sahib on June 23 before travelling to Hassan Abdal via Farooqabad on June 24. The group will stay at Gurdwara Panja Sahib on June 25, visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur on June 26–27, and travel to Lahore on June 28. The main ceremony at the samadhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh will take place on June 29, featuring the Bhog Akhand Path Sahib. Pilgrims will spend June 30 in Lahore and depart for India on July 1, 2025. ETPB officials said all arrangements have been made to ensure a secure, comfortable, and spiritually fulfilling experience for pilgrims, contingent on Indian approval for cross-border travel.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
8k-bed shortfall in city's private hospitals
New Delhi: Delhi's healthcare infrastructure is under strain amid a fresh rise in COVID-19 cases, with private hospitals reporting a shortfall of nearly 8,000 beds due to the suspension of new hospital registrations and delays in the renewal of NOCs by the Delhi govt. At a press briefing on Thursday, Dr Prem Aggarwal, president of the National Medical Forum and Delhi Hospitals Forum, along with secretary Dr Omkar Mittal, highlighted key regulatory bottlenecks affecting hospital operations. They said the Nursing Home Cell has suspended new hospital registrations and the renewal of existing licenses pending fire safety clearances. Delhi Fire Service treats these as fresh applications and denies NOCs due to non-compliance with institutional building norms. These include infrastructure requirements such as 50,000-litre water tanks, dual staircases with width of two metres each, and five-metre-wide corridors-criteria difficult to meet in residential buildings where many small hospitals operate. As a result, many hospitals are now functioning only on a single floor instead of three, slashing overall capacity by around 8,000 beds, according to the forum. Dr Aggarwal also criticised the policy of requiring individual STP (sewage treatment plant) installations in hospitals with over 50 beds, imposed by the DGHS Nursing Home Cell, even though the Central Pollution Control Board clarified via an RTI that it is not mandatory. This restriction, he said, forces hospitals that could accommodate 100 beds to limit themselves to 50, hampering healthcare expansion. Both forums have written to Delhi's health minister, urging immediate policy intervention. Dr Aggarwal pointed out that the issue traces back to unplanned urban growth and inadequate healthcare planning. During the drafting of the 2021 Master Plan in 2007, it was already evident that Delhi lacked sufficient medical infrastructure. Only 107 institutional plots were designated for hospitals in 2007-woefully inadequate for a population then exceeding 10 million. To address this gap, the 2021 Master Plan allowed residential buildings under 15 metres in height to be used for hospitals under the "other use" category. This provision enabled the creation of over 800 hospitals and nursing homes across the city, adding more than 20,000 beds.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
8k-bed shortfall in city's private hospitals
New Delhi: Delhi's healthcare infrastructure is under strain amid a fresh rise in COVID-19 cases, with private hospitals reporting a shortfall of nearly 8,000 beds due to the suspension of new hospital registrations and delays in the renewal of NOCs by the Delhi govt. At a press briefing on Thursday, Dr Prem Aggarwal, president of the National Medical Forum and Delhi Hospitals Forum, along with secretary Dr Omkar Mittal, highlighted key regulatory bottlenecks affecting hospital operations. They said the Nursing Home Cell has suspended new hospital registrations and the renewal of existing licenses pending fire safety clearances. Delhi Fire Service treats these as fresh applications and denies NOCs due to non-compliance with institutional building norms. These include infrastructure requirements such as 50,000-litre water tanks, dual staircases with width of two metres each, and five-metre-wide corridors—criteria difficult to meet in residential buildings where many small hospitals operate. As a result, many hospitals are now functioning only on a single floor instead of three, slashing overall capacity by around 8,000 beds, according to the forum. Dr Aggarwal also criticised the policy of requiring individual STP (sewage treatment plant) installations in hospitals with over 50 beds, imposed by the DGHS Nursing Home Cell, even though the Central Pollution Control Board clarified via an RTI that it is not mandatory. This restriction, he said, forces hospitals that could accommodate 100 beds to limit themselves to 50, hampering healthcare expansion. Both forums have written to Delhi's health minister, urging immediate policy intervention. Dr Aggarwal pointed out that the issue traces back to unplanned urban growth and inadequate healthcare planning. During the drafting of the 2021 Master Plan in 2007, it was already evident that Delhi lacked sufficient medical infrastructure. Only 107 institutional plots were designated for hospitals in 2007—woefully inadequate for a population then exceeding 10 million. To address this gap, the 2021 Master Plan allowed residential buildings under 15 metres in height to be used for hospitals under the "other use" category. This provision enabled the creation of over 800 hospitals and nursing homes across the city, adding more than 20,000 beds.
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
GCC to issue NOCs for pattas to families living on poramboke land in 65 locations
CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has passed a resolution approving the issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for 65 locations identified across the city to facilitate the distribution of housing land titles (patta) to families who have been residing for over 10 years on government poramboke lands. The list of approved 65 locations for NOC issuance spans various city zones, including ward 22 in Madhavaram village, ward 16 in Mathur, ward 83 in Korattur, ward 182 in Perungudi, and ward 189 in Sholinganallur. 'With the GCC now issuing the NOCs, the next steps will be undertaken by the district administration to provide housing land titles to the identified families,' a senior corporation official told TNIE. The resolution follows a government order issued in February, which allows the regularisation of residential encroachments and issuance of free house site pattas. A cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister M K Stalin in January had decided to give approval for the regularisation scheme. Under the scheme, those residing on land classified as both unobjectionable poramboke lands and certain categories of objectionable poramboke lands will benefit. All hoarding permits to be issued online Effective May 21, all applications seeking permission for erecting hoardings in corporation limits must be submitted online through the GCC website, according to a release. The submission, processing, and approval of applications will all be done through the online system. The applications will be processed by the respective zonal team and forwarded to the traffic police for NOC. The proposals are then placed before the Single Window Approval Committee, which meets once every month. Applications approved by the committee will be digitally communicated to the applicants. Upon receipt of the payment online, the final approval will be issued.
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
GCC to give pattas to families living on poramboke land at 65 locations
CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has passed a resolution approving the issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for 65 locations identified across the city to facilitate the distribution of housing land titles (patta) to families who have been residing for over 10 years on government poramboke lands. The list of approved 65 locations for NOC issuance spans various city zones, including ward 22 in Madhavaram village, ward 16 in Mathur, ward 83 in Korattur, ward 182 in Perungudi, and ward 189 in Sholinganallur. 'With the GCC now issuing the NOCs, the next steps will be undertaken by the district administration to provide housing land titles to the identified families,' a senior corporation official told TNIE. The resolution follows a government order issued in February, which allows the regularisation of residential encroachments and issuance of free house site pattas. A cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister M K Stalin in January had decided to give approval for the regularisation scheme. Under the scheme, those residing on land classified as both unobjectionable poramboke lands and certain categories of objectionable poramboke lands will benefit. All hoarding permits to be issued online Effective May 21, all applications seeking permission for erecting hoardings in corporation limits must be submitted online through the GCC website, according to a release. The submission, processing, and approval of applications will all be done through the online system. The applications will be processed by the respective zonal team and forwarded to the traffic police for NOC. The proposals are then placed before the Single Window Approval Committee, which meets once every month. Applications approved by the committee will be digitally communicated to the applicants. Upon receipt of the payment online, the final approval will be issued.
