NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday reviewed the working and response of the helpline 1031 in Delhi government hospitals.The helpline has been issued for patients and their relatives or attendants in government hospitals to report any kind of lapses in the policies of free medicines, tests and surgeries.
Sources said that every day dozens of complaints are reported on the helpline. However, the nodal officers dealing with the same have failed to address them in many situations. “The CM has expressed displeasure over unsolved complaints. He has asked the officers concerned for an explanation,” said a senior official.
On October 9, the Delhi government had extended OPD timings in state-run hospitals from 9am-1pm to 8am-2pm so that there is enough time to attend to patients and avoid crowding.
The order is being questioned by resident doctors who have threatened to boycott outdoor services on November 1 if their concerns are not addressed. They claim it is affecting their daily rounds of indoor patients.”If the government won’t change its decision, we will shut down OPD services at all hospitals on November 1,” Dr Vivek Chouksey, the president of FORDA said.
After the Centre agreed to the Delhi government’s suggestion of a review of the Metro fare hike by an “expert group”, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to MoS Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, stressing on the need to “examine” and “reevaluate” the DMRC, its “organisation, management, control and accountability”. In the letter written on Monday, Kejriwal said: “More than two decades (have) passed since DMRC was conceived and it (is) time for a fresh and independent evaluation, primarily aimed at further reforms and improvement of DMRC.” Some of the issues raised by the CM in the letter include.
Expert committee
Kejriwal said the committee should examine the “organisational structure” of DMRC, “evaluate the accountability framework” and also make recommendations aimed at providing “affordable services”. The letter suggested that the committee make “suitable recommendations for reforms in DMRC aimed at providing better and affordable services to the common man”.
Constituting the panel
He suggested that an equal number of experts be nominated by both the Centre and state. In the past, the Delhi government had described the equal stake between the governments as an eyewash, skewed towards the Centre. Kejriwal said: “The Central government may nominate one or two experts, while an equal number may be nominated by the Delhi government. The members can then choose an eminent and independent person to be chairman.”
‘Communication gap’
Referring to the political spat over the “examination of DMRC” — which the Centre said the AAP government couldn’t conduct — Kejriwal maintained that there had been a “communication gap”. Stating that the government did not order a “formal inquiry” into the DMRC, he said, “All we want to do is examine the fares, finances and other matters pertaining to the DMRC.” This, he said, would enable the Delhi government “to evaluate the DMRC’s performance and improve its functioning”.untability framework” and also make recommendations aimed at providing “affordable services”.
The car was stolen from right outside the Delhi Secretariat on October 12 and found in Ghaziabad two days later. The robbers had removed its battery, replaced the tyres with old worn out ones and even changed the spare.Its tyres replaced, a brand new battery and an engine control module finally in place, the Aam Aadmi Party’s Wagon R, which was stolen earlier this month, is ready to hit the road after beating a severe fund crunch.
Vandana Singh, a mid-rung AAP leader who was using the car before it was stolen, calls it “jugaad”, that particularly north Indian term to denote innovative, quick-fix solutions.\
The battery and two tyres (the other two are workable) have been sponsored by AAP volunteers, while the engine control module has been purchased by Singh.
Dents, scratches and all, the humble blue hatchback is more than just a set of wheels for Delhi’s ruling party and has enormous sentimental value, say party workers.
The car was stolen from right outside the Delhi Secretariat on October 12 and found in Ghaziabad two days later. The robbers had removed its battery, replaced the tyres with old worn out ones and even changed the spare.
“The IP Estate police station handed over the car to us on October 16. But we realised that its battery was stolen and tyres replaced. We had to tow the car using another vehicle from the party office,” said Singh.
Then began the task of starting the car. Shortage of funds proved to be major hurdle, she said. Till thejugaad” happened, it rested inside the premises of the party office at Rouse Avenue.
“Kuch jugaad kar diya hain (we have made some arrangement),” Singh said with a sense of satisfaction. She described the two days after losing the car as amongst the most miserable in her life. Reproachful eyes of party workers conveyed that losing the car was an “unforgivable mistake”, she said.
“I must have got at least 100 calls the day I lost the car,” she said.
However, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tried to cheer her up, Singh added.
Gifted by a party volunteer in January 2013, the blue Wagon R helped in crystallising Kejriwal’s status as an “aam aadmi” with a people connect.
He used it till the 2015 assembly election. The car has seen it all — Kejriwal’s ascension to power in 2013, his downfall in 2014 and again his rise in 2015. Quick to realise that the car itself had become a talking point and was synced with his ‘aam aadmi’ image, Kejriwal chose to use the Wagon R even after becoming chief minister the first time in 2013.
Photographs of Kejriwal sitting next to the driver did the rounds of newspaper and social media pages, as much a part of his persona as the muffler or the wide collared shirt and sweater. He also slept in it during a protest outside Rail Bhavan after he became chief minister in the winter of 2013. Associated with its “andolan” days, the car also carries a lot of emotional value for its volunteers.
AAP’s Haryana unit convenor Naveen Jaihind borrowed the “lucky” car from Kejriwal when he was contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from Rohtak.
He lost the election but his affection for the car remained — he announced a prize to anyone who helped get back the car.
“The blue Wagon-R is more than a car to us. That is why it was important for us to have it running,” Singh said.
New Delhi: The Delhi government wrote to the Centre on Monday requesting it to sprinkle water from choppers or any other aircraft to settle dust, a major source of air pollution in the city.
The city government said it was ready to bear the expenses that would entail any such exercise using its air ambience fund, a corpus created out of Rs 25 paisa cess on every litre of diesel sold in Delhi.
However, environment minister Imran Hussain’s letter to his Union government counterpart Harsh Vardhan on the issue had no information on how such a plan would be executed in a city as large as Delhi.
The air ambience fund, created in 2008, reportedly had around Rs 240 crore till last year, of which about a fraction had been used in subsidising electric vehicles.
File image of vehicles ply on smog covered Rajpath in New Delhi. PTIFile image of vehicles ply on smog covered Rajpath in New Delhi. PTI
Queries to multiple officials of the the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), which maintains the corpus, on the current size of the corpus went unanswered.
“In view of the continuous poor quality air in Delhi, it is requested that your good office may kindly propose to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to carry out an exercise to sprinkle water aerially through helicopter/aircraft to settle particulate matter in Delhi,” Hussain wrote.
Last October, the AAP government had announced a plan to put in place three-tier air treatment system, including setting up of wind purification units, mist fountains and virtual chimneys at five major traffic intersections on a trial basis.
Later, when pollution had reached alarming levels after Diwali, the government announced a plan to install outdoor air purifiers at five major traffic intersections, Anand Vihar, ITO, Sarai Kalen Khan, Kashmere Gate and IIT (Delhi) or AIIMS.
But these proposals have not seen much progress in terms of implementation.
Anumita Roychowdhury, who spearheads the Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) projects against air pollution, said a comprehensive plan to tackle the pollution crisis, which was submitted to the Supreme Court earlier this year, deals with the dust issue and spells out a raft of preventive measures.
“I do not know how aerial sprinkling would be executed and what quantum of water we are talking about. But the comprehensive plan which talks about paving of roads and road shoulders, vacuum cleaning, localised sprinkling of recycled water, setting up of water fountains at major traffic intersections and maintaining pothole-free roads among other measures should be executed,” she said.
The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority has tasked the authorities in Delhi-NCR with preparing a list of roads in a state of disrepair and contributing to dust pollution.
EPCA chairman Bhure Lal said after the identification of the “high-impact” roads, including NH-24, urgent dust-control measures would be taken up as part of the larger action plan to contain pollution levels, which spiralled after Diwali, but has since come down significantly.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded an air quality of index (AQI) of ‘very poor’ with a score of 306 for the city on Monday, as against Sunday’s 319.
Hussain held a review meeting with officials of the environment department and the DPCC, where he was informed that air quality this year was “relatively better than 2016”.
This trend can be attributed to improved wind conditions post Diwali, the government said in a statement.
An IIT-Kanpur study on Delhi’s air pollution, considered the most comprehensive report on the issue till date, had identified road dust as the biggest source of suspended particulate matter in the city.
According to the report, road dust makes up over 50 percent of the total PM10 particles and about 38 percent of PM2.5 particles. PM2.5 and PM10 are the most dominant pollutants in Delhi’s air.
These ultra-fine particulates, which can measure up to 30 times tinier than the width of a human hair and reach the bloodstream of a person through the respiratory system, pose serious health risks.
It is classic case of willingness to pay for quality service but pathological populist unwillingness to charge, Mr Kejriwal.
Dear Mr Chief Minister,
For the last few days, you and your party have termed the fare increase in Delhi Metro as anti-people and a conspiracy to benefit private cab operators. You have also flayed the 50:50 ownership structure that makes DMRC accountable to none. Your bigger demand is immediate inspection of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) accounts, not by the constitutional watchdog CAG, but by the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi, which you chair. You also want the DMRC to be handed over to the Delhi government, so that you can run it efficiently and reduce fare.Amid your high-pitch drama, increased fare structure came into being on October 10. Commuters continue to throng ‘Delhi’s Pride’.
It is classic case of willingness to pay for quality service but pathological populist unwillingness to charge, Mr Kejriwal.
Let’s get a couple of things on record here. The performance of DMRC has been stellar — 370 km of operational network, 500 km under completion, and 1500 km under planning.
Had DMRC failed in its mandate, India would not have dared to modernise its urban transport. The numbers show how well the 50:50 structure has worked — men of proven integrity and capability as managing directors with security of tenure, ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan and present incumbent Mangu Singh, requisite delegation of power to MD and below, clock-wise execution within cost. Let us not forget, here is an organization that has handled more than Rs 1,50,000 crore worth of projects in the country diligently and ethically, without controversy.
Audit is another aspect you thought was faulty. Your demand that DDC investigate DMRC is unconstitutional. DMRC is a company under the Company’s Act. Its 50:50 ownership structure was decided in 1995 in the Cabinet Note of Government of India that created the company.
For the last 12 years, CAG has cleared DMRC accounts with “Nil” comment. As someone who was involved in annual audit of Konkan Railway for years, I dare say getting “Nil” even for one year from CAG is noteworthy.
Now let’s have dialogue, since you like the word, on fare revision. The conundrum is about implementation of recommendation of 4th Fare Fixation Committee. Retrospectively speaking, gap between 1st (2004) and 2nd Fare Fixation Committee (2006) was two years, between second (2006) and third (2009) was three years, but the gap between third (2009) and fourth (2016) is staggering seven years. Such an inordinate delay was owing to expediency of then UPA-II government (no revision before Lok Sabha polls) and some delay in current government (Delhi State Elections).
But the fare revisions cannot be postponed in perpetuity. As a student of urban transport for two decades, I can vouch that the previous fare structure of DMRC was inefficient and had loopholes. To start with, it was impossible for commuters to tender exact change. Revised fares in six slabs — minimum Rs 10 for up-to 2 km and maximum Rs 60 for more than 32 km — make sense.
I was a strategic advisor for DMRC from 2011-13, and I can vouch that the fare fixation committees of past looked at two things — affordability for commuters and financial sustainability of DMRC. I have no reasons to believe latest committee has followed a contrary approach.
I have the fare structure of every operational rail on my tips and can say with assurance that for same number of stations travelled or same number of kilometers travelled, the Delhi Metro fare is lower than all operational metro rail systems in the country.
Plus, the DMRC has always been on the point in terms of differential pricing — discounts during non-peak hours, lower fares for those with metro cards and cheaper rides on Sundays and national holidays (58 days a year).
Dialogue on pricing brings us to the substantial Japanese debt that DMRC has. While interest rate is extremely favorable, the principal with interest has to be repaid. It is not loan in perpetuity. Further, DMRC has to meet operations and maintenance cost.
Truth be spoken, DMRC is only six of the metro rail systems globally which make operational profit (that is operations and maintenance costs are less than earnings). And DMRC has done this from day one. Another credit to DMRC, its total non-fare box revenue to fare box revenue is around 25%, substantially more than Tokyo Metro and next only to MTR Corporation Hong Kong, which you want DMRC to emulate.
One must credit DMRC for keeping the earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) to total revenue ratio healthy. But growing expenditure and non-revision has taken its toll — the ratio which was 73.24% in 2006-07 came down to 29.14% in 2015-16.
But the bigger worry is inability of DMRC to provide for depreciation and resultant net loss year by year. This matters a lot because DMRC will soon need to replace ageing assets or increase rolling stock to meet increasing aspirations.
Finally, I would like to conclude with one little aspect of my life. Aged 59, unable to use the Metro frequently, I often take an Ola/Uber from Connaught Place to DLF Cyber City (Metro equivalent of Rajiv Chowk to Sikanderpur) and I pay a minimum of Rs 450 one way, which can go up to Rs 600 during surge time. These are prices of lowest class of Uber/Ola cars.
Does this justify your statement on Metro fare revision, which will be Rs 60, maximum? Please rethink.
If at all you are compelled to use your broom for benefit of Delhiites, use it to remove dust from Phase IV detailed project report of Delhi Metro (2014), work closely with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and get it approved before the 2018 budget.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejirwal said a quarter of all jobs in the unauthorised sector have been lost due to GST and demonetisation, during an interaction with AAP workers on Google Hangouts.
The nationwide tax and the note ban have destroyed small scale workers, and forced the shutdown of factories, the CM said.
“People are really confused with the GST, because it is too complicated. People are asking, should we do our jobs or file returns?” he asked.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejirwal said a quarter of all jobs in the unauthorised sector have been lost due to GST and demonetisation, during an interaction with AAP workers on Google Hangouts.
The nationwide tax and the note ban have destroyed small scale workers, and forced the shutdown of factories, the CM said.
“People are really confused with the GST, because it is too complicated. People are asking, should we do our jobs or file returns?” he asked.
“I personally know people whose factories have been closed down. 25% of employees have lost their jobs.”
Kejriwal appealed to the Narendra Modi government to find a solution as soon as possible.
To fight unemployment, the Delhi government has decided to open 70 skill development centres, he said.
25 of these centres – where candidates who have a high school certificate will come and hone their skills and find employment – will be ready within a year, he said.
Kejriwal also criticised the centre for the hike in metro fares.
“(The) Metro was constructed to help people commute cheaply in the city. It was not made by the government to eke out profit,” he said.
The Delhi CM, who appreciated AAP workers’s protests against the hike, said it would not only affect the poor, but also the middle class.
Ahead of Chhath Puja, Tiwari was in Sonia Vihar to begin a cleaning drive. He took this potshot at his AAP rival upon seeing the condition of the Yamuna.
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari has given Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal an unusual challenge: drinking water from the polluted Yamuna river.
Tiwari even said that the Yamuna would become clean only when Kejriwal had clean thoughts.
Ahead of Chhath Puja , Tiwari was in Sonia Vihar to begin a cleaning drive. He took these potshots at his AAP rival upon seeing the condition of the river.
The Delhi BJP President said he’s asked for water from Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, his BJP colleague, and that the water level in the Yamuna would increase on the day of the puja.
He accused Kejriwal of not giving funds to old Chhath Puja committees, but creating new ones. He also said the CM was threatening not to provide funding to committees that didn’t use his and other AAP MLAs’ photos.
New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday asked Chief Secretary MM Kutty to direct the Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) to examine issues related to recent Delhi metro fare hike and also assess whether it could have been avoided.
The increased metro fares came into effect on Tuesday.
n his note to Kutty, Kejriwal wrote, “The steep hike in metro fares has caused considerable distress to the people of Delhi. The hike could not have come at a worse time.”
“The economy is in recession, medium and small scale businesses are facing losses and unemployment is soaring high,” the chief minister, who is also the chairman of the DDC, wrote.
Kejriwal also sought to know if the Delhi Metro was operating at its optimum capacity and whether the hike in fares is “justified”.
He said since the Delhi government is an equal partner in the DMRC, it is “deeply concerned” about the impact of the hike on common people.
Kejriwal asked Kutty to direct the DDC to find out if the hike could “have been substantially offset by efficiency improvements as well as real estate exploitation” and “if the representations of GNCTD (Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi) were effectively present in its viewpoint in Committee/board.”
While allowing the DDC to examine officers of both DMRC and Delhi government for the matter, the chief minister said, “DDC may, therefore be directed to examine these and all other related matters.”
“For this purpose, it may call for relevant records and meet with the concerned officers of the DMRC and GNCTD. It may also engage such experts and consultants as may be necessary to undertake the task,” he wrote in the note to Kutty.
The AAP government has been opposing the metro fare hike. The party has launched “Metro kiraya Satyagraha” at several stations to protest against the increase in fares.
NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal‘s car was on Thursday stolen from near the capital’s ITO area.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader’s blue WagonR was stolen from near Delhi Secretariat, reported ANI. An FIR has been lodged in the matter.
“The car was parked outside the Delhi Secretariat. It went missing around 1 am,” a senior police official told PTI.
New Delhi: Travelling on the Delhi metro will be costlier from today with tickets costing Rs. 10 more and a maximum fare of Rs. 60. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has called the hike “too steep” and tweeted, “The centre should have been more considerate for common man.” The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has defended its second fare increase in six months, citing rising losses and input costs over the years.
