Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh launches the MPLADS e-SAKSHI Mobile Application

New Delhi, Dec 22 (IANS) Amid the AAP campaigning for the Delhi Assembly polls and announcing one or the other scheme for public welfare to woo voters, Lieutenant Governor V. K. Saxena on Sunday expressed disappointment over the lack of basic amenities and services in parts of the national capital, saying plight of people living there was pathetic.

In a post on social media platform X, the L-G said: “It was extremely disappointing and disturbing to see the helplessness and miserable lives of lakhs of people in the capital.”

Sharing visuals of open drains and residents complaining of huge power bills, the L-G, who visited Rangpuri Pahari in south Delhi and Kapashera in southwest Delhi, said: “The stinking water accumulated in the alleys and streets is not rainwater but from overflowing sewers. The women narrating their problems are from Delhi, not any other state.”

During the L-G’s visit to these areas, South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and several officials accompanied him.

The Delhi government’s claims of providing free power were rubbished, as the L-G posted: “Residents of the area complained of inadequate power supply, irregular water supply and poor garbage disposal. Many residents complained of 8-10 hour power cuts daily and showed high electricity bills.

The L-G assured that a cleanliness drive would begin Monday and he would monitor the AAP government’s efforts to ensure residents get basic services.

He asked Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal to visit the areas and take measures to fix issues faced by the public.

The L-G also gave a call to come together to make Delhi great again.

Soon after the Lieutenant Governor’s social media post, Kejriwal told the media: “We will address all the shortcomings he has identified.”

Kejriwal said that he urged the L-G to identify the shortcomings and “we will resolve them.”

–IANS

svn

Chandigarh, Dec 17 (IANS) A blast was reported at a police station in Punjab’s Amritsar on early Tuesday, triggering panic among residents.

However, the police denied any blast in the police station.

According to locals, an explosion was heard at around 3 a.m. Senior police officials reached the spot and were investigating the matter.

Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar denied claims of a blast. He said locals heard the sound of the explosion, but there was no damage there.

It’s learnt that a Germany-based gangster Jeevan Fauji claimed responsibility for the blast.

Three days ago, three members of the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) module were arrested in connection with a hand grenade attack at a police post in Nawanshahr in Punjab, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said.

The accused were identified as Yugpreet Singh, Jaskaran Singh and Harjot Singh. Police teams also recovered two weapons — one country-made pistol and one revolver — along with six cartridges from their possession.

That development comes less than two weeks after some miscreants targetted the police post at Asron by hurling a hand grenade on its premises on December 2.

DGP Yadav has said the accused are the members of the KZF module controlled by handlers based in Germany, Britain and other countries and were tasked to target police establishments and minority leaders in Punjab and Haryana. The module has received funding of Rs 4.5 lakh in six months.

He had said preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested people had retrieved a hand grenade from a dead letter box (DLB) located in Jalandhar on November 28 and hurled it at the police post on December 2. A DLB is a secret location used to exchange information or items between two people without meeting in person.

Sharing operation details, Assistant Inspector General (Jalandhar) Navjot Singh Mahal said that a team of CI Jalandhar along with SBS Nagar Police laid a checkpoint near the railway crossing in SBS Nagar city and arrested the accused when they were coming on a motorcycle. Police teams have also impounded their motorcycle, he added.

He said further investigations are underway to identify and arrest other members of this terror module.

–IANS

vg/svn

Madrid (Spain), Dec 10 (IANS) Spanish giants FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are in different moments of form as they prepare for vital UEFA Champions League ties on Wednesday night. Both need to win their games improve their position and maintain their chances of qualifying for the knockout stage.

Barcelona, currently third in the 36-team group, has to play Borussia Dortmund and Benfica away from home before entertaining Atalanta, meaning it still has a lot of work to do to assure the top-eight finish that would see it qualify directly for the Round of 16.

Meanwhile, Atletico have an easier calendar ahead of them but need to keep winning to climb from their current 15th place into the top-eight. Facing last season’s finalist Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick must be worried about his side’s recent form in La Liga, which has seen it lose two and draw two of its last five games, reports Xinhua.

Part of the reason for Barca’s problems is that a defense that looked solid at the start of the season is now starting to leak due to a packed fixture, with few options to rotate key players given the long-term injuries to Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen. Araujo is on the verge of returning to action and will travel to Germany, although he is unlikely to play on Wednesday. Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski will lead the Barca attack.

Atletico have what should be a much easier game when they entertain Slovan Bratislava, who travel after five defeats from five games in which they have conceded 18 goals and scored just four.

Atletico, meanwhile, are playing their best football of the season and goes into the game after a thrilling 4-3 league win at home to Sevilla. Diego Simeone’s side is currently just a point outside the top eight, with games against Bayer Leverkusen and RB Salzburg still to play, and a win on Wednesday would give them an excellent chance of finishing in the top eight.

Antoine Griezmann was outstanding against Sevilla and with Julian Alvarez and Rodrigo De Paul also performing well at the moment, Wednesday should be a comfortable night in the Metropolitano Stadium.

–IANS

bsk/