DTC route rationalisation in West Delhi to kick in tomorrow: Transport Minister

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) The Delhi government will roll out a Bus Route Rationalisation for the West Region on January 21, undertaken by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) to improve last-mile connectivity, enhance reliability, and ensure commuter convenience, Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh said.

“The rationalisation of routes in the West Region is designed to improve reliability, shorten waiting times, and enhance service delivery. There is no shortage of buses in the city. We are building a cleaner, stronger, and more efficient public transport system for every citizen,” said the Minister on Tuesday.

The new rationalisation structure will take effect from Wednesday. The exercise follows the successful rationalisation in the Transport Yamuna Region (East), and the next phase will soon begin in the North Zone.

The rationalisation comes at a time when the city is progressively phasing out its 15-year-old DTC CNG low-floor buses as per statutory guidelines.

Despite this compulsory reduction, the Rekha Gupta-led Delhi Government has ensured that there is no shortage of buses in the city.

Services across the West Region have been restructured to maintain operational continuity, optimise fleet usage, and minimise passenger waiting time.

The exercise ensures that no 12-meter bus route is discontinued. Instead, routes have been carefully reorganised based on demand, ridership patterns, and corridor importance.

Additional buses have been deployed during peak hours under the Unified Time Table to provide smoother travel during high-demand periods.

The rationalisation also integrates the deployment of 9-meter electric “Devi” buses, with up to 50 per cent of the existing e-bus fleet being utilised across selected 12-meter routes to maintain service consistency.

Additionally, adjustments have been made for routes affected by the closure of certain CNG depots in the West Zone to ensure that services continue without major disruption. Overall, the exercise strengthens service delivery across all 181 routes in the West Region, said an official statement.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s transition to electric mobility has also gained unprecedented momentum. Since the formation of the current government, more than 3,600 electric buses have been added to Delhi’s public transport fleet, marking one of the fastest EV mobility expansions in India.

The government aims to increase this number to over 5,000 e-buses by March 2026 and further expand it to more than 7,000 by November 2026, establishing Delhi as a global leader in sustainable mass mobility, the statement said.

–IANS

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Army’s new video on ‘Op Sindoor’ reminds enemy of the new normal

New Delhi, Jan 15 (IANS) The Indian Army, on Thursday, released a new video on “Operation Sindoor”, highlighting the new normal set against attempts to divide the nation through barbaric and cowardly terror attacks and reminding the enemy not to mistake the country’s restraint as weakness.

The three-minute video, shared by the Army on social media, was also played at the Army Day Parade in Jaipur with Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi leading the celebrations.

The video shares visuals of the previous attacks including the 2001 Parliament attack, 2002 Akshardham Temple attack, 2008 Mumbai carnage, 2016 Uri and 2019 Pulwama terror strikes and the 2025 Pahalgam attack which triggered the Armed Forces’ decisive response.

The captions in the video said that these terror strikes amounted to an attack on humanity, testing India’s patience and resolve which manifested in “Operation Sindoor”.

Describing the Armed Forces’ response under the May 7-10, 2025, Operation as “Measured, Responsible and Decisive”, the video caption said, “India struck hard, dispensing justice with accuracy.”

It added that the enemy mistook our patience as our weakness and played with fire by targeting Indian citizens and the Armed Forces inflicted heavy damage and the nation remained unshakable and invincible from ground, air and sea — setting a new normal for the country’s zero tolerance to terror, its sponsors or nuclear blackmail.

“A warning for the enemy that any misadventure will carry a heavy cost,” it said.

The video also showcased the “then and now” satellite images of the damaged Pakistan airbases and terror camps across Line of Control and images of the night sky when Indian air defence thwarted drone attacks from across the border.

At one point, the short film also exposed the Pakistan Army’s support for the ‘anti-India’ terror forces by showing visuals of Army officials attending a funeral of terrorists killed in “Operation Sindoor”.

“During Operation Sindoor, the Indian Armed Forces created history with indomitable courage, valour, and unwavering resolve. Watch this inspiring tale of bravery through this short film showcased at the Army Day Parade in Jaipur,” said the Indian Army on its social media account and sharing the short-film.

The video ended summing up the four-day “Operation Sindoor” in three words — “Fierce, Firm and Unbearable”.

–IANS

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Shivraj Singh to visit Chhattisgarh today; give nod for over 3 lakh new houses under PMAY-G

New Delhi, May 13 (IANS) Union Minister for Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, is visiting Chhattisgarh on Tuesday as part of a major rural outreach initiative under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G). Chouhan is expected to approve over 3 lakh new houses under the PMAY-G scheme for the state.

The visit is part of the “Mor aawas, mor adhikar” campaign, aimed at expanding housing access to rural communities.

The flagship event is being held at the PG College Ground in Ambikapur, Surguja district, where Union Minister Chouhan will formally inaugurate a series of welfare initiatives.

As the chief guest, he will hand over ‘keys of happiness’ to PMAY-G and PM Janman Awas Yojana beneficiaries, symbolising the completion and handover of their newly-constructed homes.

In a major announcement, Chouhan is expected to approve over 3 lakh new houses under the PMAY-G scheme for the state of Chhattisgarh. With this, the total number of sanctioned houses in the state is expected to surpass 11 lakh units, reflecting the central government’s commitment to “Housing for All.”

During the ceremony, the Union Minister will also conduct ‘Griha Pravesh’ (housewarming) for 51,000 beneficiaries who have completed home construction. Additionally, a Bhoomi Pujan (groundbreaking ceremony) will be performed for those who have recently begun construction under the scheme.

Chouhan will also recognise the contributions of Self-Help Group (SHG) women, particularly the Lakhpati Didis, who have demonstrated excellence in rural entrepreneurship and financial self-reliance.

In preparation for the visit, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, Finance Minister O.P. Choudhary, and senior BJP leaders held high-level meetings with administrative officials to ensure smooth execution of the event. Collector Vilas Bhonsle confirmed that the PG College Ground has been fully prepared, with arrangements including a helipad, road access, and a main stage.

Since the formation of the BJP government in Chhattisgarh, implementation of the PM Awas Yojana has gained significant momentum, with renewed focus on rural development and housing accessibility.

–IANS

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RG Kar rape-murder case: Court to pronounce quantum of sentence today

Kolkata, Jan 20 (IANS) A special court in Kolkata, on Monday will pronounce the sentence for civic volunteer Sanjay Roy, the sole convict in the case of ghastly rape and murder of a woman doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The woman’s body was found in the hospital premises in Kolkata in August 2024. The special court judge Anirban Das convicted Roy on January 18.

The proceedings of the special court will start on Monday at around noon and in the beginning, the judge will allow Roy as well as the victims of the parents to present their concluding statements on the matter. Thereafter the special court judge will pronounce the sentence in the case.

The judge, on January 18, had already made it clear that the maximum punishment in the case could be the “death penalty”, while the minimum punishment in the matter could be life imprisonment.

Although the process of sentence against Roy in the matter of the crime of rape and murder will be completed on Monday, the angle of investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as regards “tampering” and “altering” of evidence in the matter will be still alive.

The CBI, sources said, had already informed the special court that the scope for filing a supplementary charge sheet on the tampering of evidence angle is still open, which the case in this particular angle keeps pending.

Last year, the former and controversial principal of R.G. Kar Sandip Ghosh and the former SHO of Tala Police Station Abhijit Mondal were granted “default bail” by the same special court, as the CBI failed to file the supplementary charge sheet against the duo within 90 days of their arrest.

Both Ghosh and Mondal were accused of misleading the probe and tampering with the evidence when the Kolkata Police was investigating initially. Later, the CBI took charge of the investigation on Calcutta High Court’s order.

The body of the victim doctor was recovered from the seminar hall within R.G. Kar premises on the morning of August 9 last year. The initial investigation into the matter was started by a special investigation team of Kolkata Police, who arrested Roy. However, the CBI started an investigation five days after the date of the crime and thereafter Roy was handed over to the central agency officials by the city police.

The trial process in the matter started on November 11 last year, 59 days after the body of the victim was discovered. The conviction process was completed on January 18, which was 162 days from the date of the crime. Now, the sentence will be pronounced on Monday exactly 164 days from the date of the crime.

–IANS

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