Air Pollution : PM 2.5 Risk Factors !

Good 0-50	It’s a great day to be active outside.
Moderate 51-100	Some people who may be unusually sensitive to particle pollution.	Unusually sensitive people: Consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath. These are signs to take it easier. Everyone else: It’s a good day to be active outside.
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 101-150	Sensitive groups include people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teenagers.	Sensitive groups: Reduce prolonged or heavy exertion. It’s OK to be active outside, but take more breaks and do less intense activities. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath. People with asthma should follow their asthma action plans and keep quick relief medicine handy. If you have heart disease: Symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath, or unusual fatigue may indicate a serious problem. If you have any of these, contact your heath care provider.
Unhealthy 151 to 200	Everyone	Sensitive groups: Avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. Move activities indoors or reschedule to a time when the air quality is better. Everyone else: Reduce prolonged or heavy exertion. Take more breaks during all outdoor activities.
Very Unhealthy  201-300	Everyone	Sensitive groups: Avoid all physical activity outdoors. Move activities indoors or reschedule to a time when air quality is better. Everyone else: Avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. Consider moving activities indoors or rescheduling to a time when air quality is better.
Hazardous 301-500	Everyone	Everyone: Avoid all physical activity outdoors. Sensitive groups: Remain indoors and keep activity levels low. Follow tips for keeping particle levels low indoors.

Odd Even in Delhi from Tomorrow !

(i) The plying of non-transport four wheeled vehicles (Motor Cars etc.) having registration number ending with odd digit (1,3,5,7,9) shall be prohibited on even dates of the month of April (i.e. 16th ,18th, 20th, 22nd, 26th and so on) and plying of the non-transport Vehicles having registration number ending with even digit (0,2,4,6,8) shall be prohibited on odd dates of the month of April (i.e. 15th , 19th, 21st, 23rd ,25th and so on). 

(ii) These restrictions shall also apply to the non-transport four wheeled vehicles bearing registration number of other states. 

(iii) These restrictions shall be applicable from 8 AM to 8 PM of such dates. 

(iv) These restrictions shall not be applicable on Sundays. 

(v)  These restrictions shall not apply to the vehicles of such categories as mentioned in the Schedule annexed to this notification. 

(vi)  Violation of these orders shall attract a fine of Rs. 2OOO/- in accordance with the provisions of sub- section (1) of section L94 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

Odd Even Vs Pollution levels in Delhi at 5 pm - 14.04.2016 !

Odd Even Vs. Pollution levels in Delhi is truly the main cause of concern & attention, in the present scenario. I just checked the PM 10 & PM 2.5 at various locations and the out come is as below :

14.04.2016   -   5 PM

At Anand Vihar :

Particulate Matter < 10 µg	Thursday, April 14, 2016	17:00:00	310 µg/m3	100 µg/m3
Particulate Matter < 2.5 µg	Thursday, April 14, 2016	17:00:00	62 µg/m3	60 µg/m3

At Mandir marg :

Particulate Matter < 10 µg	Thursday, April 14, 2016	17:20:00	99 µg/m3	100 µg/m3
Particulate Matter < 2.5 µg	Thursday, April 14, 2016	17:20:00	7 µg/m3	60 µg/m3

At Punjabi Bagh : 

Particulate Matter < 10 µg	Thursday, April 14, 2016	17:15:00	153 µg/m3	100 µg/m3
Particulate Matter < 2.5 µg	Thursday, April 14, 2016	17:15:00	21 µg/m3	60 µg/m3

At R K Puram : 

Particulate Matter < 10 µg	Thursday, April 14, 2016	17:20:00	157 µg/m3	100 µg/m3
Particulate Matter < 2.5 µg	Thursday, April 14, 2016	17:20:00	49 µg/m3	60 µg/m3

At IGI Airport :

Particulates PM 10 (Real Time)	Thursday, April 14, 2016	16:45:00	195.03 µg/m3	100 µg/m3
Particulates PM 2.5 (Real Time)	Thursday, April 14, 2016	16:45:00	Data not available	60 µg/m3

At Civil Lines : 

Particulates PM 10 (Real Time)	Thursday, April 14, 2016	16:30:00	386.77 µg/m3	100 µg/m3
Particulates PM 2.5 (Real Time)	Thursday, April 14, 2016	16:30:00	209.07 µg/m3	60 µg/m3

Will try to upload regularly the comparative data for all the odd / even days in Delhi. Let's see what's the real outcome.

Thanks

B S Vohra
www.RWABhagidari.com
www.RWABhagidari.blogspot.in 

Leisure spots turning into crime PLAYGROUNDS dens : Hindustan Times

Tired of poor security, residents of East of Kailash in South Delhi have formed a 20-member team to guard the 200-acre Astha Kunj Park and the areas surrounding it. At least two robbery and chainsnatching incidents are reported daily in and around the DDA park that leads to the residential colony, residents say. Vijay Jatyan, who is in charge of the team, said a man’s body was found near the park a couple of months ago.

“The park has been a breeding ground for criminals. Since the police could not do much over the years, we charted out a daily schedule to deploy our men armed with canes. From 7am to 10 pm, three to four elderly residents guard the area in shifts,” he said.

Lack of proper lighting and security guards turned the areas meant for fun and recreation into crime dens. Bodies were found in another DDA park. In September, a decomposed and chopped body of a man in his twenties was found in Jahanpanah City Forest, one of the two biggest recreational zones for south Delhi residents. Last week too, a body was found. “From gambling to consuming drugs, at sunset this place becomes a home for criminals,” said Friends of Jahanpanah City Forest president SM Agrawal. Another major recreational spot in south Delhi, Sanjay Van in Vasant Kunj, has similar issues.

“The walls are broken at places, giving easy passage to intruders and criminal elements. The absence of regular security staff facilitates unhindered entry of bikers, miscreants and drug addicts,” said Sachin Lohia, a visitor. Vinod Rawat, founder of Working with Nature, has been requesting DDA to enhance the park’s security. The voluntary group assists DDA in maintaining the 783-acre Sanjay Van.

DDA’s Lala Lajpat Rai Park in southeast Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar suffers the same fate. “Weeds have grown around the swings and the park has become a site for consuming alcohol and drugs at night,” said Lajpat Nagar United Society president Pawan Arora.

The corporation parks don’t fare better on security either. At places, miscreants switch off the lights to escape police patrolling. “It is a routine affair in Krishna Nagar central park where miscreants cut the wires so that they can play cards or drink in the park,” said East Delhi’s RWA Joint Front, Federation president BS Vohra. The parks fail on maintenance as well. Broken swings and slides and squalor are a common feature.

The Lala Lajpat Rai Park stands as a symbol of wasted community resource. With broken swings and a dirty ground, the DDA park is a fouracre mass of negligence. Once planned as a ‘fun zone’ with a yoga centre, a cricket pitch and a food plaza, the area is now frequented by drunkards.

Over 80% of the work was complete and the park was scheduled to be inaugurated on August 15, 2008. But even before the park was opened, authorities allegedly started dumping construction waste from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The project was then stalled. The corporation’s parks in east Delhi’s Vishwakarma Na gar, Azadnagar and those in Anand Vihar are equally bad. “Swings were installed in these parks less than four years ago. All of them are in poor condition,” said Vohra.

With thanks : Hindustan Times

Rules for change in Power Load made Consumer Friendly

Mr. Arvind Kejriwal,

Chief Minister, Delhi,

New Delhi.

Sub: Rules for change in Power Load made Consumer Friendly - HALF DONE IS NOT DONE

Respected Arvind Ji,

At the outset I wish to thank you for following up with DERC, our long standing demand for Rationalising Power Load Determination. An average of four consecutive months is a fair way of determining the Sanctioned Load as against the prevailing system of three highest readings in a year.

However this relief is HALF DONE as DISCOMS will continue to make easy money as they levy Fixed Charge on Sanctioned Load, rather than charging for the Maximum Load consumed in a Billing Cycle.

POINTS TO NOTE:-

A.      After Privatisation MINIMUM CHARGE was changed to FIXED CHARGE

B.      Consumers have deposited Security Deposit of Rs. 600 per KW of Sanctioned Load

C.      Power Bills clearly mention Sanctioned Load and MDI (Maximum Load Indicator)

D.      The Meters and Wiring for Loads ranging from 1 KW to 5 KW and from 6 KW to 13 KW are same irrespective of Sanctioned Load.

CONSUMERS DEMAND:-

FIX CHARGE SHOULD BE LEVIED ON MDI in the Billing Cycle and not SANCTIONED LOAD as DISCOMS have already collected Millions as Security Deposit for the Sanctioned Load.

It is to be noted that before privatization DVB used to charge a Minimum Charge which got adjusted once the consumption exceeded the Minimum Charge. This minimum charge was introduced because in earlier times consumers used to keep their houses locked for years as an investment, where as DVB was made to invest in a connection without corresponding returns.

THE RATIONALE:-

Fixed Charge on Sanctioned Load is discriminatory to consumers as majority of them use Full Load for not more than 100 days in a year during Peak Summers and Winters and for the rest of the year the Load used is barely 25% of Sanctioned Load. For Example a Consumer with 6 KW Sanctioned Load has to pay Rs. 120/- plus taxes per month, if the MDI for the month of February comes to 2 KW then he should pay only Rs. 40/-  plus taxes. THE CONSUMER ENDS UP PAYING an additional Rs.80/- per month, therefore giving DISCOMS windfall revenue, as there are 43 Lakh consumers.

Hope you find the above of some use to reduce the sufferings of Delhi Consumers. We offer all support in the Delhi Governments efforts for giving relief to the masses. Our request Dated 19-11-2015 for investigation into Fast Running Meters due to Residual Back Flow is still pending.

Warm Regards,

Rajiv Kakria

Random check of Mobile Towers !

Sometime ago we did a random check of the mobile towers in our area with two 'NARDA' machines for a day, along with two teams, to work on that. We started moving our car randomly, to find the towers with maximum carriers and the two teams followed us. We checked various towers but the outcome was nil, as all the towers ranked within the range, may be due to the fixing of outcome. The video recording of that event is being shared below :

In continuation of our efforts, a day ago, we invited a top official team, for a random check at few locations. This time these were the officials from a top rated Govt department, doing the random checking of mobile towers in our area. Though they were not allowed to share with us their findings, we could easily understand the status of the Tower checked in front of us.  

Though i can not share the outcome figures on this public platform, but yes, it was high, the tower was emitting radiation. The peak was much above the prescribed limit. We have requested the team to visit us again with more sophisticated equipment for random checking at various locations. Hopefully, they will revert to us in a day or two. We will share the findings with you very soon.

With best regards,

B S Vohra
www.RWABhagidari.com

Signal woes? Building bylaws bar mobile towers in residential areas

NEW DELHI: The new unified building bylaws that may make it easier to obtain permits could worsen signal problems for mobile phone users.

The new bylaws say there should be no mobile phone towers in residential areas.

This has led to confusion among the municipal corporations as almost 80% of such towers are believed to be in residential areas.

“No signage/communication tower and advertisement is to be provided in residential buildings,” the bylaws state.

Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu released the new unified building bylaws for Delhi on Tuesday. Apart from simplifying procedures, these have reduced public-official interaction to reduce corruption.

“Going by the new bylaws, there should be no mobile towers in residential areas. Considering that only 20% of the total mobile towers fall in non-residential areas, this may lead to cellular problems,” said a high-ranking municipal official. Officials said they would either wait for an order from the high court in an ongoing case or approach the Centre for clarification.

Mobile phone operators approached the high court in 2010 after the corporation changed its policy regarding the establishment of such towers. The case is still pending. “A lot of things have to be kept in mind while implementing the bylaws. They might require certain modifications so that the public is not hassled,” said Ashish Sood, leader of the house, South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

Technical experts say call drops occur due to an increase in the number of dead zones. These zones are a result of either fewer mobile towers in range or due to hindrance in the signal. Towers have a range of 5 km . You lose signal when you are either out of range or in a ‘dead zone’.

The three municipal corporations say the total number of mobile towers under their jurisdiction is 7,926.

Officials, however, argue that the total number of unauthorised towers are more than half of that.

“The total number of mobile towers before trifurcation was 5,252. However, the number has increased exponentially in the past three years near residential areas,” said a municipal official.

Officials argue that while most new towers violate building bylaws, for others, the corporation has not been paid.

with thanks : Hindustan Times : Dated 3rd April, 2016

Pace of development slow during L-G rule: CAG

NEW DELHI: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report on Delhi’s finances for 2014-15 rapped the city government for non-utilisation of funds and asked them to prepare realistic budget estimates to avoid large savings.

The report is of the period when the lieutenant-governor was the administrative head of the Capital through President’s rule. The Aam Aadmi Party came to power only in the end of the period in February 2015.

The public finance watchdog pointed out that the Delhi government did not use ` 6,093 crore as it did not prepare the budget after adequately scrutinising projects and schemes.

The CAG report said a ` 3,942crore fiscal deficit in 2013-14 turned to a surplus of ` 218 crore in the year ending March 2015 largely because of slow progress of schemes, non-filling of vacant posts and non-implementation of schemes. A government’s fiscal deficit is the difference between its total expenditure and total revenue.

The entire provisions of ` 265 crore under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes and Scheduled Caste Sub-Plans remained unutilised, it said.

The report also pointed out that substantial surrenders involving ` 997 crore were made which can be attributed to slow progress of work, release of less grant or loan and non-implementation of schemes.

“The government may consider taking up the matter with Public Account Committee Secretariat for regularisation of excess expenditure,” the report recommended. ‘AVOID LAST-MINUTE RUSH OF EXPENSES’ The CAG also criticised the government’s rush of expenditure towards the end of the financial year. “Rule 56 of the General Financial Rules provides that rush of expenditure particularly in the closing months of the financial year is regarded as a breach of financial propriety and should be avoided,” it said.

It pointed out that, in contradiction, the government’s expenses in March 2015 and the last quarter of the financial year 2014-15 under the 20 subheads ranged between 54 % and 100% of the total expenditure.

with thanks : Hindustan Times : Dated 1st April, 2016

Rules for change in power load made consumer-friendly

NEW DELHI: Delhi’s power distribution companies will no longer be able to enhance the sanctioned load of consumers on the basis of three highest meter readings. Now they have to calculate it on the basis of average of four consecutive months.

The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) on Friday amended the DERC Supply Code and Performance Standards Regulations in order to check arbitrary and suo-moto enhancement of sanctioned load by power discoms.

The discoms fix a sanctioned load to every household as per its average power consumption every month. They increase the load if the average usage is more than the sanctioned load, which is reflected in the monthly billing cycle.

The revision often leads to complaints. The issue was also raised by some AAP MLAs in the recently-concluded budget session of Delhi Assembly. The members alleged that the discoms revise sanctioned load arbitrarily.

“Therefore, in public interThe discoms will take the highest of average of maximum demand readings recorded as per billing cycle, covering any four consecutive calendar months in the previous financial year Average readings will be rounded off on the lower side For domestic consumers having sanctioned load up to est, the Delhi government issued policy direction to the DERC under section 108 of the Electricity Act, 2013 for amendment of the provisions pertaining to revision of sanctioned load based upon maximum demand readings for domestic consumers,” a government statement said.

The step will provide relief to the electricity consumers in Delhi and public grievances on this account will be eliminated, officials said.

“The discoms now will take the highest of average of maximum demand readings recorded according to the billing cycle, covering 5kW in the last billing cycle of previous financial year, if the computed load is less than the sanctioned load, the load will be reduced automatically Officials say the move will reduce complaints regarding ‘arbitrary’ change in sanctioned load by power distribution companies any four consecutive months in the previous financial year. Then such average will be rounded off on the lower side. Earlier, average of any three highest maximum demand readings was done. This was not consumer friendly,” a power department official said.

This is the second good for Delhiites regarding their power bills. The government in its budget, presented earlier this week, has announced to continue the 50% subsidy for people who consume up to 400 power units. The allocation for subsidy this year has also been increased to ` 1,600 crore from last year’s ` 1,427 crore.

with thanks : Hindustan Times : Dated 2nd April, 2016

Centre announces new building byelaws for Delhi

The Centre has announced unified building bye-laws for Delhi with an aim to create an integrated single window mechanism for online approval of building plans.

These bye-laws, which have been revised after a gap of 33 years, were announced by the Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu here on Wednesday.

"The new laws have been made user friendly through unification and simplification of a host of amendments made over the last three decades and integration of approvals by different agencies into a single platform," Naidu told reporters.

Applicants can submit one single online application to concerned urban local body instead of approaching various agencies. They can now also make a single payment to the concerned urban local body electronically, instead of making required payments to various agencies separately.

Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change has now concurred to integrate approvals by agreeing to empower urban local bodies to accord environmental clearance for built-up area up to 1,50,000 sq m as against the present norm of obtaining EC from State Environment Assessment Authorities under  that Ministry for built-up area of 20,000 sq m and above up to 1,50,000 sq m, an official statement said.

Moreover, for residential plots of size up to 105 sq m in Delhi, the plot owner need not obtain sanction of building plans. He will only be required to submit an undertaking intimating about construction along with requisite fees and other documents to start construction.

The number of documents to be submitted for obtaining building permits has been reduced from 40 to just 14 and the maximum time limit for granting building permit has been reduced from 60 days to just 30 days to enhance the ease doing business, it added.

Owners of plots of more than 3,000 sq. m area shall construct public washroom complexes with access from outside, in addition to other mandatory sanitary requirements.

with thanks : The Hindu : LINK

Supreme Court approves Centre's guidelines to protect Good Samaritans

The Supreme Court has approved the Centre's guidelines to protect Good Samaritans, who help road accident victims, from being unnecessarily harassed by police or any other authority. They (good Samaritans) will also be exempted from any criminal and civil liability. A bench comprising justices V Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra has asked the Central government to give wide publicity to these guidelines.  The bench also took on record the guidelines placed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, based on the recommendations of the three-member committee headed by former judge K S Radhakrishnan.  The 2014 committee had given 12 major recommendations including setting up of State Road Safety Councils, evolving a protocol for identification of black spots, their removal and monitoring to see the effectiveness of the action taken and strengthening of enforcement relating to drunken driving, over-speeding, red light jumping and helmet or seat belt laws. With the court’s approval, the government guidelines are law of the land today and binding to all states. A bystander, including an eyewitness to a road mishap, shall be allowed to leave immediately after taking the injured to the nearest hospital without furnishing his address. Police cannot compel people to reveal their identity even if they are the informers or complainants in the case. The person can give his or her name voluntarily. All registered public and private hospitals will not detain a Good Samaritan or demand payment for registration and admission costs. No police official shall ask him any questions and he would be later given a choice to record his statement before the court through video conferencing. Departmental or disciplinary action shall be initiated against the officer who coerces or intimidates the informer. If the witness volunteers to go before the court to depose in the case, the trial judge shall complete his examination in one sitting. More than 4 lakh road accidents occurred in 2014. The number of deaths also increased from 1.37 lakh in 2013 to 1.39 lakh in 2014. As per National Crime Records Bureau report, in the last decade, over 12 lakh people have lost their lives and 55 lakh seriously injured or permanently disabled

Best regards,

Editorial (Dr SS Agarwal, Dr K K Aggarwal)

Sent by : Mr Vinay Kapoor.