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NDTV
6 hours ago
- Business
- NDTV
Delhi Orders 20-Year Audit of Arbitration Cases Amid Public Funds Misuse Concern
New Delhi: The Delhi government has ordered an audit of arbitration cases involving claims of over Rs 1 crore filed against it in the last two decades in a move to tighten financial oversight and plug legal loopholes. The directive, issued to the Public Works Department (PWD), Water Department, and Irrigation and Flood Control Department, is aimed at bringing transparency and accountability in the handling of public money. "This audit is about learning from the past," a senior government official said. "It will help us understand the extent of financial loss and ensure there's no repeat of such lapses in the future." The departments have been asked to submit detailed, year-wise data on arbitration cases above Rs 1 crore. This includes how many cases were decided against the government, the reasons cited in the awards, how much was paid out or lost, and whether appeals were filed before disbursing the money. The move comes in response to what officials describe as "mounting concerns" over how departments have frequently chosen to settle disputes rather than pursue legal remedies, especially in civil and infrastructure contracts. In many such cases, large sums were reportedly paid out without fully exploring legal recourse. In a decisive step, the government has now barred any payments in arbitration cases where the ruling goes against the state, unless all legal options have been exhausted and formal clearance is obtained from the Law Department. Officials say that the audit is more of a course correction. As part of a broader policy shift, the PWD has removed the arbitration clause from all its new contracts. This reform, officials said, is meant to curb opportunistic claims and enforce more rigorous legal discipline in dispute resolution. The change comes in the direction of Delhi's PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, who said it was time to draw a line on unchecked settlements. "Public funds must be treated as sacred," Mr Verma said. "For years, departments settled claims through arbitration without exhausting legal options; this won't continue. We are auditing two decades of arbitration history to identify who was responsible and why legal battles were surrendered. Importantly, I have now removed the arbitration clause from PWD contracts. If there's a dispute, let it go to court. No easy money through arbitration anymore." Officials familiar with the matter say the audit will likely uncover systemic issues in how departments have handled legal disputes, and could lead to long-term structural reforms in contract enforcement and financial management. While some contractors have raised concerns that the removal of arbitration may slow down dispute resolution and increase costs, government sources maintain that the change was overdue. "This reform forces everyone to come to the table with stronger documentation and legal backing," the official added. The review is expected to conclude later this year and may feed into broader legal reforms across departments engaged in public works and infrastructure contracts.
News18
13 hours ago
- Climate
- News18
Heavy rains trigger traffic chaos, waterlogging across Delhi
Agency: New Delhi, Jul 29 (PTI) Severe traffic snarls and widespread waterlogging disrupted movement across Delhi on Tuesday after heavy rains lashed the city, forcing commuters to wade through deluged roads and streets. Visuals from various parts of the city showed serpentine queues of vehicles at gridlocked intersections. In many areas, the water level rose to the knees, partially submerging cars and two-wheelers alike. Traffic came to a near standstill on several stretches like ITO, Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Nehru Place, Kailash Colony Road, Dhaula Kuan, Naraina, Patel Nagar, Vijay Chowk, Jangpura, RK Puram, Lajpat Nagar, Talkatora Road, Azad Market underpass, and Zakhira underpass. According to the Public Works Department (PWD), around 90 calls regarding waterlogging were received at its flood control room on Tuesday morning. Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma asserted that there was no waterlogging at hotspots like Minto Bridge underpass, Moolchand underpass, and Pul Prahladpur. 'Changing Delhi: From waterlogging to relief! There were spots where water used to accumulate every monsoon, but now traffic passes through without stopping. The Delhi of dreams is no longer just a promise; it is becoming a reality," Verma said on X in Hindi as shared videos of smooth traffic movement at the three spots. 'The waterlogging at Minto Bridge was due to an overflowing drain of the DJB, but it didn't last long. Traffic was diverted for 10 to 15 minutes," a PWD official told PTI. Between 8.30 am and 11.30 am, the city recorded 63.5 mm of rainfall at its primary weather station in Safdarjung, while other stations reported varying amounts: Ridge recorded 129.4 mm, Ayanagar 23 mm, Lodhi Road 64.5 mm, Pragati Maidan 44.4 mm, and Pusa 37.5 mm, according to data from the Regional Meteorological Centre. Rajeev Sharma, a commuter from Ghaziabad, said, 'It usually takes me around 45 minutes to reach my office in central Delhi, but today it took me almost two and a half hours. The roads were completely waterlogged, and the traffic just wouldn't move." Auto driver Abdul Qayyum, who was driving from south Delhi to Connaught Place, said, 'Vehicles were crawling and all the traffic signals went kaput. It's usually a 20 to 25-minute drive, but I was stuck for over an hour." The Delhi Traffic Police shared information regarding snarls and diversions on X and advised commuters to avoid the affected stretches. A 'red alert' was issued for Tuesday morning, which was later downgraded to an 'orange alert' after 11 am. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a red alert indicates 'be vigilant", while an orange alert means 'be prepared". The IMD predicted moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by lightning and surface winds with speeds of 30 to 40 kmph during the day. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 26.8 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature is expected to settle around 30 degrees Celsius. Relative humidity was recorded at 70 per cent at 8.30 am. The air quality was recorded in the satisfactory category at 9 am, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 87, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed. According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'. PTI NSM SHB SSM RHL view comments First Published: July 29, 2025, 17:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Smooth ride in sight? Govt revives long-stalled plan to ease travel between Delhi airport terminals
Live Events What's the project all about? Why now? (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Relief may finally be on the horizon for the lakhs of passengers shuttling between Terminal 1 and Terminals 2/3 of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International years of delay, the government reportedly is moving to appoint a consultant for a long-pending infrastructure revamp aimed at easing travel between the airport's far-apart quoted by ToI said that the Delhi government plans to commission a feasibility study and prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for two key interventions: a Y-shaped flyover and a widened tunnel under the runway. Both are expected to ease the bottlenecks plaguing the current commute, especially for transit renewed momentum follows a recent meeting between officials of Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) and Delhi's Public Works Department (PWD) minister Parvesh Verma. Following the meeting, Verma dispatched a team to the site to inspect existing traffic and road conditions.'Minister Verma assured us of action in terms of appointing a consultant for the twin project,' a source was quoted as saying by plan involves a two-pronged strategy:A Y-shaped flyover that would connect the Northern Access Road (which links T1 with the rest of the airport) to two key arterial routes — one heading toward Dwarka and the other toward Dhaula Kuan and Vasant the existing tunnel under the runway — currently a six-lane (three in each direction) underground road that's India's only tunnel of its kind. The idea is to double it by adding a parallel six-lane passage, effectively making it a 12-lane upgrades are considered vital because T1 alone now handles over 4 crore passengers a year, many of whom transfer to or from T3 — nearly 7 kilometres away. With the airport's proposed "air train" project indefinitely delayed, the surface commute remains the only option for bottlenecks at the NSG junction near Terminal 1 and on Indira Gandhi Road — both known for choked traffic — are only expected to worsen unless something is done urgently. A signal-free flyover could be a game changer, helping reduce delays and improving the overall airport said the widening of the tunnel and the flyover are part of a Rs 300-350 crore project, which DIAL has pitched to both the Delhi and central governments. Since the roads in question are under the jurisdiction of PWD, the funding model being explored involves a 20:80 cost split between the Delhi government and the Centre, respectively.'The project is proposed to be funded 20% by the state and 80% by Centre through its urban development fund. The request has been made, and both are seized of the issue,' a source told appointing a consultant is a step forward, actual execution may still take years, depending on bureaucratic approvals, funding clearances, and construction timelines. For now, however, the dust-covered plan is finally seeing some sunlight — and for transit passengers struggling with long, traffic-filled transfers between terminals, that's at least a start.
Indian Express
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
In a major bureaucratic reshuffle in UP, 23 IAS officers, including Noida DM, transferred
The Uttar Pradesh Government Monday ordered the transfer of 23 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, including district magistrates (DMs) of Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, and Prayagraj, among others. Medha Roopam, a 2014 batch IAS officer, has been appointed the new District Magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida), in place of Manish Kumar Verma. Verma has been transferred to Prayagraj in the same role. Considered a trusted officer of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Roopam was a competitive shooter before joining the Indian Administrative Service. Verma, a 2011‑batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer, earlier served as Additional Chief Executive Officer (ACEO) in Noida Authority briefly until May 2017 and held posts as Chief Development Officer in Mathura and Pratapgarh before being appointed as the DM of Gautam Buddha Nagar. Prayagraj DM Ravindra Kumar Mandar has been moved to Ghaziabad as the new district magistrate. Mandar, a 2012‑batch IAS officer, was the DM of Jaunpur and then Prayagraj, where he was entrusted with overseeing major events, including the Prayagraj Kumbh. Deepak Kumar Meena, who had been serving as Ghaziabad district magistrate, will now take charge as the DM of Gorakhpur, the constituency of Adityanath. A 2011‑batch IAS officer and alumnus of IIT Kharagpur (Electrical Engineering), Meena served as Ghaziabad DM for approximately six months from January 19, 2025. He was praised for handling Kanvar Yatra safely in 2025, and conducting frequent public hearings. His recent responsibilities included leading a high‑level probe into the Prateek Grand City sewage flooding incident, appointed by the Meerut division commissioner to investigate illegal drain diversion and procedural lapses. Meena also organised the Integrated Control Room & surveillance covering 200 CCTV cameras during the Kanwar Yatra and deployed 750 civil defence volunteers to manage pilgrims across critical stretches near Dudheshwarnath Temple. Krishna Karunesh, who previously served as the district magistrate of Gorakhpur, has been appointed as ACEO, Noida Authority. As Gorakhpur DM, Karunesh played a pivotal role in securing a landmark MoU for the major expansion of Gorakhpur Airport, overseeing a project that will boost passenger capacity from 270 to 2,500 per hour and enable up to 200 daily flights. Neetika Jha is a Correspondent with The Indian Express. She covers crime, health, environment as well as stories of human interest, in Noida, Ghaziabad and western UP. When not on the field she is probably working on another story idea. On weekends, she loves to read fiction over a cup of coffee. The Thursday Murder club, Yellow Face and Before the Coffee Gets Cold were her recent favourites. She loves her garden as much as she loves her job. She is an alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. ... Read More
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Online frauds cheat investors with fake luxury goods scheme, 8 arrested
Noida: Eight members of an online fraud racket that lured people with promises of becoming millionaires were arrested on Sunday. The accused operated via Google Meet, convincing targets to invest Rs 1.5 lakh by purchasing fake luxury goods like gold, diamonds, and watches. Payments were collected during the meetings, often in dollars or bitcoins. When investors failed to make profits, they were pressured to buy more products and even offered fake loans to continue investing. Those arrested include Vidhan Dagar (27), Kaushik Dagar (31), Tapas Dhara (28), and Ganesh Bera (23), natives of West Bengal; Satish Shaw (29) of Jharkhand; Kalpesh Raju Bhai (23) of Gujarat; Gurvinder Singh (29) of Ludhiana; Gurdeep Singh (39) of Punjab. All of them were residents of the Bisrakh area, Greater Noida. You Can Also Check: Noida AQI | Weather in Noida | Bank Holidays in Noida | Public Holidays in Noida Ten laptops, five tablets, 13 mobile phones, a cheque worth Rs 1 crore, 30 ATM cards, four watches, and a Swift car were recovered from their possession. According to Greater Noida's additional DCP Sudhir Kumar, a man named Pravin Kumar Pal registered a complaint stating that he and his cousin had been duped out of a large sum of money by an online business. Acting on the complaint, Ecotech-1 police traced and arrested the accused. Ecotech-1 police station in-charge Arvind Verma said the accused worked for a Dubai-based online company, commonly known as QNET/VIHAAN, which lured people in "get-rich-quick" schemes. The company was already under investigation in Delhi, Rajasthan, and Meghalaya. Explaining the gang's modus operandi, Verma stated that the gang held webinars on Google Meet and made the targets pay Rs 1.5 lakh to join the company. The targets were sold products such as gold, diamonds, and watches, and were told to resell them for bigger profits. In most cases, the victims did not receive the products. Those who did found them to be of substandard quality. "The accused now face charges under sections 318(4) (cheating), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the BNS at the Ecotech-1 Police Station," Verma said.
